Conversations Overheard
by the.eye.does.not.SEE
Summary: What I wanted to happen at the end of "Superfreak." Come on, who *really* thinks that Lexie would have just walked away like that?  Rated M for the 7th chapter
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note:

There will be lots more where this is coming from; sorry it's so short right now. I've been working on this story since the episode aired, and I've wanted to publish it forever, but didn't have the first part right. I'm only publishing it now because I got so impatient I couldn't have it sitting around unfinished anymore. I know this is really, _really _short, but it'll get longer (and I hope better) so stick with me. Thanks :)

PS—I, too, am liking April more and more ;)

"_Lexie, for god's sake, Mark never thought you were a psycho; he __**loves**__**you**__. That's why he stares at you, because he cant keep his eyes off the woman he loves…Of course, he's never going to say __**anything**__ because he doesn't feel like he __**can**__..."—April Kepner, 6x03_

Lexie checks herself in the elevator with her mirror, doing some quick retouches. Satisfied that she looks as good as possible for the moment, she allows herself a small smile. If Mark really loves her like April said, this wouldn't be so hard, right? She'd told him to leave her alone…But she could go to him, couldn't she?

Getting off the elevator, Lexie hears distant laughter and the sound of a couple kissing. She grins to herself; Callie and Arizona were such a cute couple. She could actually allow herself to be happy for them now that she was finally going to be able to fix things in her personal life. But as she walks towards the end of the hallway, Lexie is met by something very different from Callie and Arizona.

"Hey, guys is Mar—" Lexie starts, not bothering to wait until she sees them to find out where he is. But her voice falls short as she's stopped by the image of Mark and Amelia kissing, not the two women she was just thinking of.

The two look up as they hear her voice, and Lexie's face immediately falls. Mark pulls away from Amy as if he's been given an electric shock, and Amy, for her part, just looks confused.

"Lex," Mark says softly, his eyes falling on her. His voice turns defeated, knowing what she'll make of this.

"I—I n—need to go," Lexie manages, turning her back on them and walking quickly down the hall.

"Mark, what…" Amy trails off, having no idea what's going on.

"Lex," Mark calls, finding his voice. "Lexie, wait!"

She doesn't respond, simply continuing to flee the scene as fast as she can without looking too pathetic.

"Hey," Mark calls, reaching out to stop her.

"_What?_" She yells a bit too loudly, jerking away from him. "What do you want?"

"I…I'm sorry, Lexie. I'm…It's not what you—"

"Not what I think, right?" Lexie interrupts, whirling on him with malice in her voice. "Well, what _I _think is going on is you're _still _sleeping around, after telling me that you didn't want to be with anyone but _me_. Obviously," she says, with a fake laugh, "those plans have changed." Amy walks around the corner, wondering what the hell is going on.

"_You _told me to leave you alone!" Mark shouts, getting angry despite knowing he's at fault here. "I'm trying to do that," he says, quieter now, pleading.

"Oh? Are you?" Lexie asks in a mocking voice. "By screwing around?"

"Lex…"

"Cause that's what it looks like to me," she growls, pushing the button for the elevator as he follows after her.

"I never said it wasn't what it looks like."

"You were going to."

"And you know that how?"

"Because I _know _you. And I know what people say in these situations. So instead of reenacting it, I'll be leaving. Let you get back to…_that_," she finishes scathingly, looking to Amy as the elevator doors open.

"Don't," he says, putting a hand on her arm to stop her from getting on the elevator.

"Let go of me," she growls, shrugging his hand off and stepping onto the elevator.

"Lex, come on," Mark implores her, leaning into the elevator. She just looks away, hitting the button to close the doors, but they remain open, blocked by Mark's arm. "Just talk to me."

"We're done talking," she says flatly, shoving his arm out of the way and hitting the lobby button again.

"Lex," Mark murmurs as the doors start to close. She turns away from him, trying her best not to let him see her cry. Mark stands there for a moment after the doors close, leaning against the elevator, before straightening up. He moves so quickly, Amy isn't even sure what happens until he cries out.

"God damn it!" He yells after punching his fist against the elevator, the sickening crack echoing in the empty hallway as his hand collides with the metal.

"Tough break," Amy comments from his apartment door. Mark whirls around, surprised. In all the chaos of the argument, he'd forgotten Amy was even there.

"Sorry, I…Sorry," Mark finishes lamely.

"I think I should go…" she says, walking towards him and the elevator. She pushes the button to call the elevator, her eyes on the lights as they climb up to floor 5. Mark rests his good hand on Amy's wrist.

"Stay. _Please_," he whispers.

"Mark…" She says, looking over to him. She'd come here for a good, carefree time before heading back home. She'd obviously gotten more than she bargained for. "I don't think its such a good idea…"

"Amy, come on. I—I just…I need a distraction."

Amy sighs. "Mark, _really_…"

"Amy, please. I need this."

"No, you don't," she says firmly, looking over to him. "I'm not what you want or need."

He looks quizzically at her.

"Why don't you go after her?" Amy suggests gently.

"I…can't."

"Yes, you can. There's…" Amy lets out a little chuckle. "There's obviously some unresolved issues between you two. Go. Just…go."

Mark looks at her, trying to process what she's saying.

"No, I can't." He looks to her. "Will you just…Will you just…stay with me? Please?"

Amy closes her eyes, not knowing what to do. He's obviously hurting—both physically and emotionally—and it's a bad time to leave him by himself. He could get into even more trouble…But she shouldn't stay, either. She can't let things get out of hand, especially when Amy's sure he'll regret it in the morning.

"Fine," she answers against her better judgement. He looks to her, not expecting her to grant his wish. "I'll stay."

"Thank you," he says, moving towards her.

"Stop," she says putting up a hand to stop him. He looks at her, confused.

"You just said—"

"I know what I said," Amy says, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Look, I will stay. But I'm staying on the couch. And we're fixing that hand of yours, okay?"  
He sighs, irritated.

"Mark?"

"Fine," he snaps, walking back towards his apartment.

"This is going to be a long night," Amy mutters to herself. Just as she was about to walk after him, he comes back, throwing something at her. "Hey, what the hell—" She yells, catching the flying object in her hands.

"Calm down, they're just the keys."

"What? Where are we going?"

"To Cancun," he says sarcastically. "We're going to the _hospital_. You can drop me off at the ER; Torres can set this," he informs Amy, striding past her.

"Mark, I can fix your—"

"It's fine, Amy. Callie'll do it. She's on-call anyway."

Amy glares at his back for a minute. Sure, he's pissed, in pain, and probably heartbroken…But does _everyone _have to act like she doesn't have a medical degree?

Please review and tell me what you think so far!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed and Favorite-d this story. It means a lot :)**

"Hey," Callie calls, smiling from the ER desk, spotting Mark walk in with Amy. He looks rather angry, so Callie moves away from the gossipy nursing staff to speak with him. "What's up? Why do you look like someone crashed your car?"

"_Excuse me—_" Amy starts, thinking that Derek had told everyone about her drug-induced mishap with his car.

"It's just my hand, Torres," Mark interrupts gruffly, holding it up. "And I didn't crash my car."

"I mean your expression, Mark. I—Oh, god, what happened to it?"

"He slammed it into an elevator," Amy supplies helpfully, wanting to get back at him just a _bit _for being such an ass.

"You…What?" Callie asks with an involuntary giggle.

"I was pissed and I hit my hand. I think it might be broken. Can you look at it, please?"

"Mark, what happened?" Callie asks worriedly, looking between him and Amy.

"Nothing," he growls, glancing around.

"Lexie came by," Amy informs her. "They got into a fight."

"Amy!" Mark says angrily, shooting her a dark look.

Callie's brows furrow, and she brings her hand to cover her gasp. "Oh my god, you got into a _fight_?I can't bel—Mark, _where is __**she**_?" Callie asks, enunciating each word in a whisper, scanning the room.

"Jesus Christ, Callie!" Mark barks indignantly. "Not that kind of fight!"

"Oh, thank god," she says, exhaling and turning back to him. Mark's eyes shoot to hers, a vulnerable look in them.

"You really think I'd hurt her?"

"No, Mark, no!" Callie backpedals quickly. "I'm sure—"

"Just fix my hand, Torres," Mark interrupts her, sick of this already.

"Right this way," she says, leading the way to an empty exam room and closing the blinds on her way in to give them some privacy from the other hospital staff.

"Amy, you can go," Mark tells her, gesturing to the exit.

"Ha, nice one," she counters. "I'm not leaving you alone to break your other hand."

"Thanks," he says before following Callie. Amy couldn't tell if he was being serious or sarcastic.

…

Callie works in silence for a few minutes before speaking.

"So…" She starts. "What happened?"

Mark groans. "_Nothing. Happened."_

"I was with Mark and she walked in on us," Amy says.

"See? _This_is why I wanted you to leave," Mark tells her. Amy just shrugs her shoulders in mock indecisiveness.

"Give us a minute, why don't you?" Callie asks her gently. Mark watches Amy, waiting for her to leave.

"Fine. I'll be back in a little bit," she says, grabbing her coat and exiting the room.

"And?" Callie asks Mark, glancing to him before turning back to his hand.

"And she was pissed," he sighs. "Reasonably so."

Amy leaves the room, looking around for her brother or Meredith. When she doesn't see any familiar faces, she glances back to Mark's exam room. Amy knows Mark doesn't want her around—she knew that this night was nothing more than sex and maybe a little catching up. He didn't really want her to hang around, and neither did she. But not that things were…_interesting_, to say the least, Amy didn't want to be cut out of the loop.

She notices the two in what seems to be deep conversation. Amy glances around, making sure no one's noticed her before edging closer to the exam, listening in on their conversation.

"Mark, you need to remember that she told you to _leave her alone _less than a week ago," Callie is saying as Amy leans nonchalantly against the closed blinds. "Why don't you try that?"

"I was! Why does no one see that? I _was_ trying to leave her alone. She's the one who showed up at my apartment. Ow," he winces as she sets a one of the bones.

"Still, though…Maybe you should have waited a little while before going after her…"

"Waited? And what? Find her—OW—in bed with Karev again? I'm not taking that chance, Torres."

"I think she's over Alex. And vice versa."

"Still."

"Well, if I were you I'd tone it down for a little while. Just let her be."

"Let her be? Really? Are we gonna go through this again? I _told you_I wasn't going to wait around to be happy—"

"And _I_told you to stop skipping steps!" Callie counters, annoyed at her best friend's thick-headedness. "Do you want to hear the Arizona parable again?"

"Only if she's naked in this one."

"Shut it," Callie responds, glaring at him. Mark just smirks back, his cockiness returning.

"How is roller girl by the way?" He asks quietly after a moment.

"Good. She's good," Callie says vaguely, not wanting to make him miserable with how perfect things are going with Arizona.

"Callie."

"What?" She asks, examining his hand.

"You can be—OW—honest with me, you know?" She looks at him. "I'm not going to fall apart if you talk about how happy you are," he says with a small smile.

"I don't have much of a poker face, huh?"

"Nah, I just know you." He looks out the windows of the exam room for a moment. "So you guys are…good?"

"Better than good. She's—we're great. Everything's…"

"Great," Mark finishes for her. "Have you guys talked about kids at all?"

"A bit. I mean, she said she was okay with the idea…But I don't want to do anything too fast, you know? She _just _moved in…Besides, I don't really think I'm ready either."

"What?" Mark looks at her in surprise.

"What?"

"Callie, you'll be an amazing mom. You love kids. Haven't you wanted one forever, anyway?" He pauses, thinking. "Besides, I think you're ready whenever you _feel_ready. There's no timeline. Trust me," he mutters.

"Ha," she chuckles. "Have you spoken to Little Sloane at all then?"

"We talked a bit last week. She calls every once in a while to check in. She's back with her mom."

"That's good."

"Yeah. I think she'll be okay."

They sit in a companionable silence for a few moments before Callie breaks it just at the right moment. Amy was about to make her presence known and walk back in, but something held her back. She knew that they weren't done with this conversation yet. Plus, Amy was hesitant to leave her hidden place—she's never seen this side of Mark. He's so…open with this woman; it's fascinating and disconcerting at the same time.

"So you want to tell me what really happened to cause you to break all the bones in your hand?" Callie asks casually, getting up to find a kit to tape his wrist.

"It's not _all _the bones, Torres. Jesus, I thought you were a doctor."

"I _am. _And it's close enough," she mutters, turning his hand around.

"That _is_ what really happened. I looked away, like you said…And I just…needed a distraction," he sighs, "to keep my eyes off her."

"Ah, so you picked Shepherd's baby sister?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I just…I couldn't stop thinking about her, Torres," Mark admits quietly. "I know she told me to leave her alone. I _know_. But I just…can't."

"Well, you're going to have to try if you two are gonna get through this."

"What do you mean?"  
"I _mean_, she needs some time. She came to your apartment probably expecting to get back together, and she sees you screwing someone else."

"Okay, we were _not_screwing. Kissing is not screwing. Why does no one see the difference?"

"Well, they're very closely related. And I doubt _Lexie_ saw the difference."

"She would've if she'd _listened_to me."

"She just ran off?" Callie asks, surprised.

"No. Well, yes. I mean, I tried to get her to stay so I could explain everything…But she left."

"Maybe she'll come back."

"Yeah, right," Mark scoffs.

"Just give it some time. Give her some space, and just wait and see."  
"Easier said than done."

"Right. Okay," she says, sitting up and walking out the door to find the younger Dr. Shepherd. Amy walked a few paces away from the door quickly, acting like she'd just gotten back from wandering around the ER. Callie waves to her and leads Amy back into the room. "He'll be fine. You don't need a cast," she tells Mark. "But I'm gonna tape it and put your hand in a brace, okay?"

"Awesome," Mark grunts sarcastically.

"Hey, at least it _wasn't _a fist fight this time."  
"True," Mark says, smiling despite himself.

"You got into a fight?" Amy asks from behind him.

"Oh, yeah," Callie answers laughing. "Him and your brother got into a brawl on the catwalk. They were tackling each other and everything."

"Over what?" Amy asks, intrigued. Derek didn't get into fights. And despite his size and strength, neither did Mark.

"Lex—" Callie starts.

"It's not important," Mark interrupts Callie, shooting her a look. "Not anymore."

"Mark…"

"It's fine. I'll deal with this, Callie. Thanks," he says, hopping up. Callie hugs him quickly, and he kisses her cheek lightly before and heading for the door. Amy watches him in fascination. When did he start acting like this? When did he stop being such a crass playboy and start having _actual_ emotional relationships with the opposite sex? Amy watches him leave and walk toward the exit, still confused.

"What…What happened to him?"  
"Hm?" Callie asks, cleaning up her supplies.

"He's so…"

"Normal?" Callie supplies with a laugh. "Yeah, I know. Trust me, it takes me by surprise too sometimes."  
"He…I don't even know who he _is _anymore."

"He's changed," Callie says simply.

"Yeah, I can tell," Amy says with a chuckle, watching the man in question walk out into the rain.

"He's…" Callie pauses, searching for a way to explain all this to the other Shepherd. "He's different. Not just as a man…But he'd gotten to be _better_…Because of Lexie, I think," Callie says softly.

"But they broke up…"

"Yeah, I know. But I don't think he ever stopped loving her." Amy resists the urge to laugh. Mark Sloan, in love with a woman? A _girl,_ by the looks of it? _This isn't possible_.

"What do you mean?" Amy asks, lost in her thoughts.

"Well, you know about his daughter, right?"

Amy nods. Derek had mentioned it to their mother, who'd in turn relayed it to Amelia.

"Yeah, well, she showed up while they were still together. Living together, actually."

"They…_lived _together?"

"For a few months, yeah. But he wanted to have his daughter and the baby move in once it was born…Lexie didn't…" Callie sighs. "Lexie couldn't deal with it all. She's only in her mid-twenties, after all." Amy nods, trying to do the math despite all the thoughts swirling in her head.

"So he picked his daughter?"

"Yeah," Callie says sadly. "But right after, Lexie left him. Walked out, moved out…And he went to LA to go see Addison about the baby. By the time the baby was born, Sloane had decided on adoption. She gave the baby away to another family and moved back in with her mom."

"And Mark was left by himself."

"Yeah," Callie sighs. "You know, he used to be fine on his own. He lived in the hotel, slept around, worked…Lived his life as usual…But then Lexie showed up…He wasn't the same after her."

Amy nods, her eyes roaming over the hospital's emergency room. Callie walks up to her, laying a hand on her shoulder. Amy looks over at her, confused. She'd probably misunderstood Amy's confusion with compassion.

"He's just upset," Callie says, watching Amy's face. "I'm guessing you're staying with him?"

"Uh, yeah." She answers absent-mindedly. "I mean, we're not—"

"No, I know. It's just—he might not say anything to you, but I know he's in a bad way, okay? You'll make sure he doesn't get into any more trouble, right? Or do anything _too _stupid?"

"Sure."

"Usually I'd call Derek or deal with him myself…But I'm on-call, and Derek…I doubt Mark would want to talk to him about this."

With that small admission, things click into place for Amy. "Wait, the fight was about _Lexie_?"

"Uh, you were there…" Callie says, confused. "You tell me."

"No, no, I mean the fight with Derek—it was over _Lexie_?"

Callie almost bursts out laughing. "Not in the way you're thinking of," she answers, grinning. "As a favor for Meredith, Derek asked Mark to stay away from Lexie."

"Ah," Amy says, knowing the outcome instantly. "He went after her and my brother was pissed?"

"No, actually," Callie says, smiling as she remembers. Mark was so cute at the beginning of his and Lexie's relationship. He was in love with her without even realizing it. "Lexie went after him."

"What?" Amy asks, laughing. She couldn't see that petite brunette going after someone like Mark Sloan _at all_. Let alone getting into a serious relationship with him.

"Yeah, she showed up at his hotel room and seduced him apparently," Callie says, not wanting to give away any details in case Mark and Lexie didn't want Amy to know. And Callie was guessing neither wanted Amy to know anything.

"You're kidding me."

"Totally serious."

"So Derek found out and what? Hunted him down?"

"No, no, they kept it really quiet for a while. But Lexie wanted him to tell Meredith and Derek or else she was a-walking…So Mark told him, and Derek punched him in the face. And Mark punched back, and the rest is history."

"Wow, I can't believe that. I mean, I literally _can't _believe eitherof them got in a fight. Let alone with each other…"

"Well, yeah, it wasn't totally Derek's fault, though. He'd just lost a really close patient cause of a botched surgery; Mark showed up at the worst time."

"Okay, _that_ makes a bit more sense," Amy concedes with a chuckle. Callie cracks a smile, setting her cast kit on the counter before heading to the door, about to leave.

"You'll watch him, right? I'm on-call and I can't help him right now."

"I will," Amy answers truthfully.

"I don't wanna get any late-night phone calls."

"Don't worry," Amy says with a small smile, preceding Callie's exit from the exam room. "I better get back. Broken hearts and broken bones don't set well by themselves."

"Very true. I'll see you later," Callie says, watching the other woman leave.

"Bye."

…

"_Finally,_" Mark complains. "What were you doing in there?"

"Oh, nothing. Just popped in on a quick surgery," Amy lies easily.

"How about you look in on surgeries when I'm not waiting out here in the rain."

"No one said you had to wait in the rain," Amy says, climbing into the driver's seat.

"It felt good," he says simply. He doesn't need to say the rest. Amy knows that there's there not much that makes him feel good anymore.

The loud _SLAM _of the front door wakens Meredith, who's become an uncharacteristically light sleeper since Christina started coming over in the middle of the night. She opens her eyes, blinking at the light flooding underneath her and Derek's bedroom door. She looks over, sees that he's still asleep, and gets up to check on what's going on. As she approaches the door she can hear the sounds of a woman crying, no doubt doing her best to hide the fact that she's sobbing.

"Christina?" She calls sleepily, emerging into the hall and squinting her eyes at the bright light. "Are you okay? Where's Owe—Lexie?" Meredith asks, her eyes furrowed. "Lexie, what happened?" She asks, walking out into the hallway.

"Nothing," she answers, looking away and wiping her eyes.

"Lexie…"

"Mark just…It's no—nothing," she says, sniffing. Lexie disappears into her room, trying to get away, but Meredith follows her.

"You wanna talk about it?" She asks gently, leaning against the doorframe. Lexie looks at her, takes a deep breath, and then sits on her bed, staring at her shoes.

"I…I went to find him. After what April said, I…I don't know, I thought things had changed or something…"  
"But?" Meredith prods, knowing Lexie's the kind of person to let out all she's feeling—there's nothing worse for someone like her than if she lets her emotions stew.

"But…When I got to his apartment building…" A tear falls down Lexie's face, and she can't quite get the words out. She'd been _so _hopeful! And now…Now everything was shattered.

"He was with someone else?" Meredith suggests gently, wishing her mind didn't immediately jump to that outcome, for Lexie's sake at least. But he _was _Mark Sloan, after all…

"Derek's sister," Lexie whispers.

"Oh, Lexie," Meredith says, sitting beside her sister and putting a hand on Lexie's back. "I'm sorry."

"Me too," she sniffs, looking away and wiping her face. She takes a ragged breath and then looks at her sister. "Thanks for, um, listening. I know you thought I was Christina—"

"Lexie, I'd still have come out here if I knew it was you," Meredith interrupts her softly.

"Thank you, then. Look, I'm, uh, I'm gonna go to bed."

"Okay," Mer says gently, walking hesitantly to the door. "Just wake me if you need anything."

"Thanks, Mer."  
"Anytime," Meredith says, watching her little sister for a moment. Lexie kicks off her shoes and collapses back on the bed. After making sure she's not going to freak out or anything, Meredith walks across the hall to her room, but it stopped by Lexie's small voice.

"I'm such an idiot," she mutters. Meredith pads a few steps closer to Lexie's room, not knowing if she was talking to her or not. She peeks in the door to find Lexie curled up, crying.

"You're not," Meredith counters softly. Lexie looks up, surprised to the figure in her doorway. Meredith walks into her room, sitting gingerly on the edge of her bed. "You're not an idiot, Lexie."

"Right," she scoffs, wiping her face.

"Seriously."

Lexie lets out a small chuckle. "Anyone tell you that you use that word all the time?"

"I have been told that," Mer says, smiling gently. "And I mean it—you're not an idiot. You guys are just…You're going through the paces," she says, trying to find a good way to put what is obviously an awful situation.

"Going through the paces?"  
"You know, like when you…When you start as an intern? Everyone pushes you around, everything's _your _fault…" Lexie nods slowly. "Well, it's kind of like that. You guys just need to get to a good spot and work things out. And they _will _work out."

"Thanks," Lexie says half-heartedly with a small scoff. "But I'm thinking that already happened." Meredith opens her mouth to protest, but Lexie speaks first. "And I don't think you can be put through the paces twice."

"I was," Meredith says. Lexie looks up at her. "Yeah, multiple times, actually. Derek and I, well…We're Derek and I. We had loads of problems, but I'm sure everyone does. Look at Callie and Arizona, Teddy and Andrew, Christina and Owen. They've all gone through bad shit in their relationships, but they're working it out. You guys will too. You just need some time to cool off."

"Right. Mark needs some time to fuck someone else."  
"Lexie…"

"It's fine," she says, holding up a hand. "I don't care. I'm going to go to bed. Thanks for this, though."

"Okay," Meredith says, willing to leave but worried that she'd leaving Lexie in a bad place. But what's she supposed to do, anyway? _It should be illegal for me to hand out relationship advice_, Meredith thinks, hoping she hasn't made things worse. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah. Night." Lexie kicks off her shoes, lying facedown on her bed, her clothes still on. She doesn't bother shutting the door or getting under the covers. She closes her eyes, trying to forget everything that's happened.

...

"What'd Christina want?" Derek asks sleepily, rolling over when he feels the shift of weight in the bed.

"Not Christina," Meredith murmurs, lying down next to him. "Lexie."

"Hm…What'd Lexie want?"

"Nothing," she tells him, trying to hold to her promise.

"Oh?" Derek mumbles into the pillow.

"She's upset. She saw Mark and Amelia together."

Derek looks over to her, more awake now. "Comforting to know it's not just _my _life she's ruining."

"I don't think she's ruining Lexie's life," Meredith argues. "She'll be gone soon, though, right?"  
"The damage is still done." Derek sighs. "She should've been on a plane tonight."

Meredith sighs, looking at the ceiling. She's not going to even bother to get into Derek's issues with his sister. "You think they'll ever figure it out? Mark and Lexie?"

"Hard to say," Derek says quietly. "He's been mooning after her for weeks…I thought he'd at least have said something to her."

"He didn't say anything to you?"

"Mark doesn't talk to me about Lexie," Derek responds. "He probably talked to Callie, though."

"Maybe. But if he cares enough, he should've talked to Lexie…But him sleeping with Amelia…"

"Something I did _not _want to picture." Derek sighs. "And something I should have seen coming."

"Well, for Lexie's sake, I hope they figure all this out. It's getting exhausting holding her while she cries."  
"Yeah…" Derek murmurs. He looks up from the pillow. "Wait, this happened before?"

"Yeah. After she found out he was seriously dating Teddy. She came into the bathroom and just broke down. I didn't tell you about this?"

"No…"

"Well, it wasn't that big of a deal. It happened a while ago, anyway."

"Hm…" Derek murmurs, thinking.

"Well, she obviously thinks she isn't enough for him," Meredith tells him.

"Maybe she's not," Derek says quietly, glancing over to her. It's not malicious or mean-spirited; it's just the truth as he sees it. As he had seen it for so long. Still, even after everything that's happened between those two, it's hard for Derek to see Mark as a one-woman man. He's been the opposite for far too long. Meredith closes her eyes, exhaling.

"I guess we'll find out," she says after a moment.

"Yeah," Derek responds, yawning. It's another couple of minutes before Meredith speaks again.

"I think I just gave awful advice to Lexie."

"I'm sure it was fine," Derek murmurs sleepily, just about to drift into unconsciousness.

"Gee, you're a real help," Meredith mutters sarcastically before settling herself down to sleep as well, seeing this conversation as a lost cause.

""S what I'm here for," he says as he falls asleep again.

Mark opens the door awkwardly with his left hand, tossing his apartment keys onto the counter. Amy follows behind him, closing the door and taking off her coat. She sets his car keys by the coffee pot.

"So…" Amy begins slowly, wondering how to broach the subject. Neither of them had spoken on the short car ride back to the apartment, but Amy had had a lot of question on her mind.

"What do you want to know?" Mark asks warily, grabbing a bottle of scotch out of one of the kitchen cabinets.

"Do you have any beer?"

Mark looks over. "That's it? Beer?"

"Are you suggesting I indulge in some harder alcohol?" Amy asks, ignoring the double meaning in his words.

"To each his own," he says, grabbing a beer from the fridge and handing it to her. Mark grabs a glass, pouring himself a generous portion of liquor before settling down on the couch. Amy deliberates for a moment in the kitchen before sitting down in one of the armchairs in his living room.

"Well, this is weird," Amy comments, taking a swig of her beer.

"What? The fact that I've got furniture?" Mark counters, evading the subject.

"The fact that you're so serious. Let alone over a _girl_," Amy fills him in, emphasizing the last word.

"You don't understand," Mark says gruffly, sipping his drink and ignoring her slight.

"Obviously not," Amy says with a laugh, holding her beer. Mark glares at her.

"She's—She's going through something hard right now," he mutters, unlacing his shoes. "And I can't—I _don't_—know how to help her. Not that she'd let me if I knew how," he sighs, closing his eyes. "We were all affected…_differently_ by the shooting….She—"

"Wait, she got shot?" Amy asks, shocked and a bit worried. _Well, if she got shot her behavior _does _make sense…_

"No," Mark answers quietly.

"So what happened?" Amy asks after a moment.

…

_"He…He tried to kill me," Lexie admits quietly. Mark looks up, blinks his eyes in sleep. He's about to ask her what she's talking about before someone else speaks._

_ "When?" Meredith asks gently, her voice almost devoid of emotion, as she sits at her sister's bedside. She's gone through each person's recount of his or her experience with Gary Clark, she doesn't even bother to act shocked or appalled anymore. There's just the defeat left now. The acceptance. And, eventually, the moving on._

_ "I was…I was coming back from the blood bank. I'd gone to get Alex blood. I had Mark stay behind with him…He just appeared out of nowhere." Mark shifts quietly in his chair, trying to stamp down every urge to make his awake and upset state known to her. But he can't. He's not even supposed to _be_ here. She'd have him thrown out for sure if she knew._

_ "How did you get away?"_

_ "The SWAT team," Lexie murmurs, her eyes blinking sleepily. "They were behind me. I heard a shot…He'd pointed to gun at me…I thought…" Tears fall down her face, making clean streaks across her cheeks. "I thought I was going to die."_

_ Meredith's eyes flit to Mark's, and she can tell he's awake. His distraught expression is easy to see, even in the dimmed light. He shakes his head almost imperceptibly, not wanting to disrupt Lexie's confession. No one knew she'd even seen the shooter._

_ "But they shot him?" Meredith prods, turning back to Lexie again._

_ "Yeah. In the shoulder. I grabbed the cart and ran as fast as I could back to the conference room. He didn't follow me."_

_ "And Alex survived," Meredith recounts, trying to be optimistic._

_ "Yeah," Lexie says, a few more tears slipping out of her eyes._

_ "Hey, he's fine. He's healthy. It'll be okay," Meredith reassures her younger sister._

_ "No, it's not…" Lexie's eyes focus in on Meredith's, sharper than they've ever been since she'd been admitted. "Is it selfish that he wasn't the man I was thinking of when I thought I was going to die?"_

_ "Lexie," Meredith murmurs, her eyes shooting quickly to Mark's. He doesn't notice her gaze; his eyes are fixed on the woman he'd had to commit to this place._

_ "Mark," Lexie whispers, almost inaudible. He almost jumps forward, a habit from hearing his name called in such a sad and desperate voice, but he manages to control himself. "Alex was dying. I _thought _I was dying…And I didn't spare one thought for him."_

_ "Lexie, you don't have to—"_

_ "No, Mer, I _need _to tell someone," Lexie implores her, an intense look in her brown eyes._

_ "Okay," Meredith concedes after a moment, her eyes flitting unsuccessfully to Mark's again._

_ "He…The week before the shooting, he'd…He said he _loved me_," Lexie confided in a whisper. "H—He said he would…ma—marry me." Meredith's eyes shoot, panicked, to Mark's. Where in _hell _is all this coming from? "…And then he just left," Lexie finishes. "He just walked away after…After all that."_

_ "Did you say anything to him?"_

_ "I couldn't. Alex was…What would I have said?"_

_ "You could have told him how you felt," Meredith suggests gently._

_ "What if he changed his mind?"_

_ "Well, did he? Did he say anything to you the morning of the shooting?"_

_ "He…" Lexie pauses, trying to recall the memory. "He said he missed me." She exhales, reaching up to wipe the tears from her face before her hand is stopped partway to her cheek, the plush restraints holding her in place. "Damn it."_

_ "I got it," Meredith says, reaching over to wipe her sister's face with a tissue. She looks pointedly to Mark as she does so._

_ "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm a crazy person. No one would love me anyway."_

_ "Lexie, you know that's not true at _all_," Meredith tells her, a little annoyed. She's had to deal with enough self-pity for one lifetime. Lexie doesn't say anything, just simply closes her eyes._

_ "You're not crazy. You just need rest. And there are plenty of people who love you. Your sisters, Thatcher, Derek, me…Christina, even," she says with a chuckle. Lexie smiles a bit. Meredith glances quickly over to Mark, serious now. "And I'm sure Mark still loves you, even if you're in the psych ward."_

_ "You don't know that," Lex argues._

_ "I'm pretty sure I've got it right," Meredith says quietly, her eyes turning to watch Mark. He doesn't look at her, his eyes still focused on Lexie. _

_ "He's never visited me," Lexie states after a moment. Out of the corner of her eye, Meredith sees Mark lean forward, as if about to interrupt her—but he catches himself at the last moment. If Lexie saw him now, even heard any other movement within the room, it'd be ruined. She'd be embarrassed, humiliated…Probably would never want to look him or Meredith in the face again.  
"You've been asleep for a long time, Lexie," Meredith explains, doing anything to keep her focus in the complete opposite area of where Mark's sitting. I'm sure he stopped by and you were just unconscious."  
"I doubt it."  
"Why don't you ask him when you get out, then?"_

_ Lexie doesn't answer, just closes her eyes and tries to sleep._

_ "I'll get the nurse," Meredith says, more to Mark than Lexie. Lexie's body doesn't shift as Meredith leaves the room; she remains on her side, her back to Mark. Meredith returns a moment later, with a psych nurse in tow with a heavy dose in a syringe. "I'm going to go, Lexie, but I'll be back when you wake up, okay?"  
Lexie nods, grimacing slightly as the needle sticks her arm. "Thank you, Mer," she says, drowsy already. "For…everything."_

_ "Anytime."_

_ Meredith leaves and Mark sits beside her bed for some time before speaking. When he does, it's quiet, reserved. As if any movement could wake her up, cause her pain._

_ "I miss you too," he says softly._

…

"If you knew how she felt about you, why didn't you ever say anything to her?"

"What was I supposed to say? I snuck into your psych ward and heard you pour your heart out to your sister? By the way, want to get back together? Doubt that would go over real well, but thanks, Amy," Mark says, his voice coated in disdain.

"Just trying it help," she says, raising her hands in surrender. "I won't do it again."

"No, it's…Sorry. You're fine. I'm just a little…"

"Jackass-y?"

"Nice. But, yeah, I guess." He pauses, as if mulling something over. "Jackass-y? That's the best you could come up with?"

"I'm drunk. Don't fault me."

"I'll drink to that," he murmurs, downing the last of his glass before pouring another. Amy watches him, a semi-judging look in her eyes. She knows she should be stopping him, making sure he takes care of his hand, regulating his alcohol intake…But enough experience has told her to know that he won't listen to anything she says. She's not sure he'd listen to anyone right now, that is, unless they were telling him to drown his sorrows in more scotch.

In which case, he would gladly accept and fall even deeper into the grave he's dug.

**A/N: Hoped you liked it. This is what I was doing instead of studying for my three tests tomorrow ;)**

**Review Please!**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you all for the Favorites and awesome reviews! It means a _lot_. :) And, just out of curiosity…Am I the only one who _freaked_ when I saw THIS (/shondarhimes/status/28368009137) on Shonda's twitter? Can you say FINALLY? ;)

"He doesn't talk to me about Lexie, Mer," Derek says as he grabs a few mugs from the cabinet. "Maybe he talked to Callie."

"Well, you should try to talk to him anyway. She was really upset," Meredith returns, checking the coffee pot. They stand in silence for a moment before they hear footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Morning," Lexie says quietly as she walks into the kitchen. Derek and Meredith look over their shoulders to see her walk in, already dressed for work.

"Hey," Derek says, grabbing his coffee and, after receiving a look from Meredith, heading upstairs to change. Meredith fills up two mugs and hands one to Lexie as she watches Derek leave. Lexie sighs loudly.

"You told him."

"Sorry," Meredith says with a shrug, not even bothering to lie.

"What happened to privacy?" She murmurs, lifting the cup to her lips.

"Well, maybe he could help," Meredith suggests gently. "You know, Derek could talk to—"

"Mer, _please_," Lexie interrupts her sister. "Just…" She puts her cup down. "Can you just leave it alone? I had a bad night, but I'm fine now. Can we just move on?"  
Meredith studies her for a moment. She opens her mouth and then closes it. "Okay," she says quietly after a moment.

"Thank you."

The two finish their coffee in silence, and when Derek returns a few minutes later, they all head off to the hospital.

...

"Get up," Amy commands, shaking his shoulder.

"Hrm…" Mark rolls over, putting his back to her.

"GET UP."

"Go away," he groans.

"GET. _UP!_" Amy repeats loudly in his ear.

"Jesus, you're annoying," Mark growls at her.

"You need to get up."

"No, I don't. I need to sleep this off," he mutters, shoving a pillow over his head.

"You need to go into the hospital, actually," she counters, holding up his pager. Mark lifts the pillow, looking at her with one eye. His vision focuses in on the blinking _911 _message on the screen.

"Fuck."

"Up and at 'em, big guy," Amy says with a smug smile.

...

"Mostow, you're with Dr. Torres. Grey, you're on Dr. Sloan's service. Spalding, you're with Hunt," Bailey announces, directing the interns to their weekly bosses. Lexie's eyes shoot up as she hears her name, but no one else seems to take notice. _Well, that's one think I can be thankful for_, she thinks. _At least nothing's spread…Yet._

After the other interns disappear to their respective attendings, Lexie approaches Dr. Bailey hesitantly.

"What do you want, Grey?" Bailey asks, scanning a patient's chart.

"Dr. Bailey, can I please be put on someone else's service for the week?" Lexie asks politely, trying to sound casual. Bailey looks at her, studying her expression.

"Whatever issues you have with Dr. Sloan, you'll have to work them out with him yourself," she answers after a moment. "I'm done refereeing every personal problem that you all have. I had enough of that with your sister. And with these idiots," she says, gesturing to Steve's disappearing form.

"But Dr. Bailey—"

"You wanna switch services? Get attending approval, and you've got it," Bailey informs her firmly.

"Fine," Lexie mutters, walking away.

...

"Jesus, you look terrible," Derek comments, grinning, as he walks up to Mark at the nurses' station. His best friend looks as if he's had one too many drinks and not enough coffee.

"Thanks so much," Mark returns, glaring up at him from the chart he's filling out. "And good morning to you too, Derek. How was your evening?" Mark asks sarcastically, still scribbling away.

"Interesting, actually," Derek says casually, reaching for his own chart. "Did you know Lexie came home crying last night?"

Mark's eyes shoot to his, surprised, but soon catches himself and faces his chart again—but not before Derek saw worry flicker across his face.

"You, uh, wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" Derek asks innocently, watching his best friend.

"No, I wouldn't," Mark says shortly before closing his chart roughly and walking away.

"Oh, yeah, he knows something," Derek murmurs when he senses Meredith walk up behind him.

"See? I told you this was his fault."  
"We'll see," Derek responds, spotting his sister across the room. Amy's eyes are scanning the floor, searching for someone. Derek is about to head over to his sister before Callie walks up to Amy. Derek watches them for a moment before heading up to the patient rooms. He can ridicule Amy later.

...

"So what happened?"

"Nothing unusual. He got hammered and then accidentally admitted everything," Amy reports, watching her brother curiously.

"Admitted what?" Callie asks.

"He's in love with her," Amy says, almost incredulously.

"Yeah, I know that part," Callie says with a chuckle.

"Did you know he visited her in the psych ward?" Amy continues.

"Yeah, I suspected as much. I mean, all of us did. Meredith was there for like a day and a half," Callie says with a smile.

"Mark was there for two."

"What?" The smile fades from Callie's face. "Are you serious?"

"Well, according to him, yeah. But keep in mind that he was pretty drunk at that point, so it could all be exaggeration."  
"No, I'd…Two days? Really?"

"Yeah, that's what he said. She didn't know he was there, though."  
"Well, yeah. She was asleep almost the whole time she was in there."

"He said she was awake," Amy responds, confused.

Callie's eyebrows rise. "Excuse me," she says, stepping away from Amy and heading to the surgical wing to find Mark.

...

Lexie notices Derek across the room, and she walks up to him, hoping to get on someone else's service. Hopefully his misplaced concern for her will work to her advantage. For _once_. "Hi, can I get on your service today?" Lexie asks brightly, falling into step beside him.

He looks at her. "Why?"  
"Well, neurosurgery's…fascinating," Lexie finishes truthfully. "Kerry's case was interesting. I'd like to get more experience."

"Who's your attending this week?"  
"Dr. Sloan," Lexie says, looking away. Derek glances to her, but she doesn't see him.

"Fine," Derek says after a moment, taking pity on her. "Just get him to sign off on it, and you're with me."

"Thank you," Lexie says gratefully, smiling slightly that her plan worked before realizing where she was heading. The smile fell from her face just as quickly as it appeared. _This'll be great,_she thinks sarcastically.

"I think Callie wants to talk to you," Amy says, intercepting Mark by the OR board. He lifts his hand to rub his tired eyes before realizing it's the one in the brace.

"Perfect," he growls, sick of the stupid brace after less than twenty-four hours. "Where is she? I want this piece of shit off my arm."

"She's not taking off the brace, Mark. Besides, I don't think she wants to talk about your health…" Amy trails off, looking at him pointedly. Mark groans.

"This is never going to end, is it?"

...

Lexie walks around the OR floor slowly, not really wanting to find Mark. Sure, she'd like to get in a surgery, but…_This is stupid,_ Lexie thinks to herself. _How hard is it to just walk up to him and say I'm switching services? It's not that big of a…_She thinks before noticing what's right in front of her. _Asshole!_

"No, I don't think so," Amy is saying with a smile, nudging Mark with her elbow. He rolls his eyes, looking away and catching sight of Lexie. He freezes for a moment, and she takes that pause to walk up to him, trying to make this as brief as possible. She keeps her eyes trained on his face, trying not to look at the woman behind him.

"I'm on your service this week," Lexie begins. "I'd like to switch to Dr. Shepherd's."

"And this wouldn't have anything to do with me, would it?"

"Dr. Sloan," Lexie says, glaring at him. "I'd like to switch services."

"No," he says simply.

Lexie sighs. "Why not?"

"You know why not," he responds. "Just talk to me for a minute and you can switch."

"Or I can switch _right now_."

"Just a minute. Really, that's all I'm asking."

"I'm not giving," she retorts.

"Well, then you're not switching."

"This is ridiculous," she mutters. "We're at work. Will you just let it go?"  
"Let what go?" Mark asks, feigning ignorance.

"Mark, come on," Lexie says, getting angry now.

"What?"

"I'd rather practice neurosurgery than Plastics."

"Oh, really?" Mark says, crossing his arms. "And why's that?"

"Because it's what I'm _interested _in."

"Ah," he says, pretending to think about this. "Since when?"

"I don't know," Lexie answers, annoyed. "A while."

"Well, that was specific."

"Look, I'd rather be on Dr. Shepherd's service. Is it really that difficult to just let me go?" She asks, sighing, looking away. Her eyes snap back a minute later, realizing what she just said.

"Lex…" Mark starts.

"Just let me switch," she demands, looking up at him.

"Gimme a reason."

"I _like _neurosurgery. It's…complicated," she responds, pulling an idea out of thin air.

"Oh, okay, so I'm supposed to believe you're suddenly fascinated by brain surgery, am I? Because it's _that_ interesting?"

"Well, at least it _saves_ _lives_," Lexie spits at him, having had enough of this. Mark's eyes flash, and he's about to open his mouth when Callie walks up.

"You—"

"Hi," she says brightly, interrupting him and trying to assuage the tension. "Dr. Grey, can I talk to you for a minute?" She doesn't wait for Lexie to answer, simply starts pulling her away, stopping when they're a few doors away from Mark, who's still watching her with fury in his eyes.

"Can you go easy on him, please?" Callie asks quietly.

"Ex_cuse_ me?" Lexie says, her eyes narrowing—her anger from a few moments ago and last night is still very much present. "After what he did? Are you _kidding me_, Callie!"

"Lexie—" Callie starts, but stops when Lexie ignores her and turns and walks back to Mark.

"I'll be switching to Dr. Shepherd's service if that's all right with _you_," she informs him scathingly.

"Fine," he spits. "Do whatever you want."

"I intend to."

"Good."

"Fine."

"_Fine_," Mark repeats, glaring at her for a second before turning his back and striding off. She does the same, sighing in irritation and walking back to find Derek. She locates him, still at the nurses' station, pouring over the patient's chart.

"He let you go?" Derek asks, his eyes never leaving the chart.

"What?" Lexie asks, surprised. _He didn't hear anything, did he? _He looks up at her, eyebrows raised. "Oh, r—Right," she says, covering quickly. "I'm good to go."

"All right, then, let's go," he says, closing the chart, handing it to her, and leading the way to the patient's room.

...

"Well, that was smooth," Amy comments as Mark watches Lexie walk away again. Mark turns around to face her, his arms crossed.

"It's your damn fault for letting me drink so much," Mark retorts, finding a new target for his anger.

"Right, like me taking the bottle away would stop you. I'd go to the bathroom and come out finding you downing cough syrup."  
"Clever," he says sarcastically.

"I call 'em like I see 'em."

"Uh huh. Well good for y—_What, _Callie?" Mark asks gruffly as she pulls him along, letting go a few feet away from Amy.

"I need to talk to you," she answers him.

"You don't need to talk to me. I don't need life coaching from you."

"Uh, yeah you do."

Mark just rolls his eyes, sighing. He knows Callie won't leave him alone until they come to some kind of agreement. "_Fine_. Lay it on me; let's go."

"Okay, first off, did you ever apologize to her?"

"Of course I did," Mark answers indignantly. "I told her I was sorry; it's not my fault she didn't believe me."

"It kind of is. Anyway, did you say it like you meant it? Like you were actually sorry?"

"I _am _actually sorry!"  
"I'm not asking if you _are,_ I'm asking if that's what you told her," Callie clarifies, wanting to punch him for being so dense all the time.

"I…" Mark falters, thinking back. Sure, he'd said sorry, but…

"See? Go tell her you're sorry."

"Can't do that right now."  
"And why not?" Callie asks, her hands on her hips.

"I've got surgery."

"You've got a broken hand."  
"I've still got surgery," he says, walking away.

"Wait, did you not tell the Chief about this?" Callie calls after him. Mark just keeps walking, not looking back. "_Idiot_," Callie mutters angrily, heading for the catwalk.

...

"Hey, how are ya?" Derek asks, walking up to Mark a few hours later at the OR board.

"Fine," he returns in a clipped tone. Less than forty minutes ago, Callie'd gone to the Chief herself and told on him. _Teacher's pet_. So now he was standing around, practically useless, staring intently at the OR board, willing his name to be put back up.

"Lose a patient?" Derek asks quietly, glancing over to him.

"What? No, I—" He falls short. Derek hadn't noticed his hand? Realizing this, Mark shifts the sleeve of his lab coat lower over his brace.

"Was it Lexie then?" Derek asks again, his voice still low. Mark's eyes narrow at this.

"Is it really any of your business if it is?"

"No," Derek answers truthfully, shrugging. "I'm just wondering."

"Well, in that case, _no_, it was _not _about Lexie. This is just a bad day."

"Because of Lexie," Derek surmises.

"Lexie, Lexie, Lexie," Mark repeats. "What do you care?"

"I care because she's off your service and on mine. I care because she lives with me and Meredith. And I care cause you're my best friend. You sure you don't want to talk about it?"  
"I'm fine, Derek. Thanks for the concern," he says before walking away. Derek sighs.

"Can't say I didn't try," he mutters under his breath.

...

"Hi, do you have a minute?" Meredith asks, catching up to Lexie in the hall.

"Uh, I was going to give these labs to Derek, but, yeah, I can spare a minute."

"Good," Meredith says, stopping by an on-call room. "I need to talk to you."

Lexie looks at her dubiously for a moment before following her into the darkened room. She stands by the door, watching Meredith pace for a few seconds. After a minute, Lexie gets impatient.

"Look, Mer, I really should—"

"This is important," Meredith says, cutting her off.

"So tell me.  
"I will. I just…I need to figure out _how_ to."

"Well, figure it out and get back to me," Lexie replies, her hand on the door.

"You weren't alone in the psych ward," she says quickly, hoping to stop Lexie form leaving.

"I know, Mer," her sister replies, opening the door. "You were there. And I thank you for it. Now, I really need to go."

"Mark was there, too" she says quickly, blurting it out.

"Wha…What?"

"He was sitting to your left," Meredith tells her as Lexie closes the door, turning around. "I was on the right. I don't think you ever saw him."

"No, no, he was asleep. He wasn't awake."

"He was awake," Meredith says firmly.

"You don't know that." She looks away, trying to sift through those groggy memories. There's really only one that stand out. "No. No, he couldn't be awake. You were—we were talking. It was just us. There was…There was no one else there."

"He looked at me, Lexie. I know he was there. He was awake, and I know he heard—"

"He didn't hear ANYTHING!" Lexie yells angrily, hoping that if she says it loudly enough, it'll be true.

"Lexie…"

"No. No, he didn't…He didn't hear anything. I was talking to _you_. There was no one…" She trails off, thinking back, trying furiously to remember. Her eyes had been a bit blurry; it was hard to see details in her drugged state and bleary vision didn't help…But the more she thought about it, the more she realized…Meredith wasn't always looking right at her. _But that could mean anything. Maybe she didn't want to look at my chained-up psycho bed…Or maybe she was looking at Mark, _another part of Lexie's mind argues. _Maybe she _was _certain when she said he loved her…Maybe she could tell because he was _there_…_

"This is ridiculous," Lexie mutters, trying to clear her head. She raises her voice. "He wasn't there. He never said anything. _He wasn't there._"

"I think you should tal—"

"I need to go," Lexie interrupts her, reaching for the door again. "I'll see to you later."

"Okay…" Meredith murmurs under her breath before sitting down on one of the empty beds. How could she be _this _bad at fixing other people's problems _and _her own?

...

"So, I got the MRIs," Lexie says a few minutes as she walks up to Derek, finding him in the surgical hallway. She hands them over to him as he looks at her curiously. "What?" She asks quickly, hoping, _really _hoping that he hadn't been talking to Meredith.

"Nothing," he says quickly, taking the scans. He stares at them for a few minutes before handing them back. "These won't work. We've gotta get a CT scan if we want to be certain. Order one up and I'll meet you in the booth in a half hour," he instructs before heading to his office.

"Got it," Lexie replies, taking the scans and heading to the nurses' station to call one up. At least work will keep her mind off things.

…

"Okay, if we can get Mrs. Royte upstairs in ten minutes, the CT scanner will be open," Lexie says over the phone, checking her pager to see if anything's changed.

"Good," Derek says, grabbing her file off of his desk. "You take her up and I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay," Lexie says, hanging up the phone. She walks quickly towards the patient rooms, searching for room 201. Upon locating it, she knocks lightly before entering. Janice Royte sits up comfortably in her bed, her husband sitting in the chair next to her.

"Hi," Lexie says brightly, walking to the front of her bed.

"Figure anything out yet?" Mr. Royte asks, watching her for telltale signs of bad news.

"Not yet," Lexie says with an easy smile. "But if we can get her up to our CT scanner in the next ten minutes, we might have some new information," Lexie informs him, walking over to lift up the guard rails on Mrs. Royte's gurney.

"I'll be fine," Janice assure her husband, patting his hand lightly.

"You don't know that," he replies, his voice grave. "Your mother—"

"Died," Janice finishes for him. "I know," she says, her voice quavering a bit. "But I'll be fine. You'll see."

Lexie walks outside to grab a nurse to help her wheel Mrs. Royte out of the room.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we've gotta take you up now," the nurse tell her, taking the left end of the gurney as Lexie takes the right.

"All right, take me away," she concedes with a small smile. Lexie smiles back, and begins pushing her out the door and down the hall as Mr. Royte follows. When they arrive at the CT and load Mrs. Royte into the machine, he pulls her aside lightly.

"You'll take care of her, right?" He asks, worry evident over his whole face. "She…Her mother died of cancer when she was a teenager. I don't…I don't want that for her," he explains, his voice quiet.

"We'll do our best," Lexie reassures him, glancing over to see Derek already in the CT booth. "But I've got to go right now and check on your wife's scans. We'll alert you as soon as we know something," she tells him, laying a light hand on his arm.

"I know. I just…I knew something like this would happen. We've been married for almost thirty years…Sometimes things just…" He trails off, wiping his eyes lightly.

"Sometimes things are just too good to be true," she finishes with a weak smile. "I know. And we'll do our very best, I promise. Dr. Shepherd is one of the top neurosurgeon's in the country. If anyone can help your wife, it's him."

"Thank you," he says thickly before turning away and heading to the waiting room. Lexie watches him go, her mind wandering. If she had cancer, would anyone care like that?

...

"Scans are up," Derek announces as Lexie walks into the CT booth.

"Okay, let's take a look," Derek muses, zooming in on different areas of the scans as they appear, one after the other. After a few minutes of silence, there's a light knocking on the door. Derek and Lexie both look over to see Mark standing outside.

"Dr. Grey, can I talk to you?" He asks, his hand on the doorframe.

"I'm busy right now," she says, turning her head back to the scans. "We're looking for cancer."

"Derek can look for cancer without you. Can I speak to you for a moment?" He asks, repeating his question, his tone rising in annoyance.

"There's a small tumor right there," Lexie says, ignoring him and pointing to the computer screen. She lets her mind sift through all the markers of brain cancer, trying to block out thought of how the Roytes will take this news. If Derek can't get it out, Mrs. Royte will end up just like her mother…And her poor husband…

"The tumor can wait," Mark tells her impatiently.

"So can you," she counters, not taking her eyes or mind off the scan.

Mark sighs loudly. "Lexie, will you just—"

"Okay, Dr. Grey," Derek interrupts him, glaring at the both of them. "Go and talk

to him."

"But, Dr. Shepherd—" Lexie turns to him, her eyes narrowed at his betrayal.

"The tumor isn't going anywhere yet," he says with a quirk of his lips.

"Fine," she mutters, getting up and following Mark outside. The walk a few feet

away before Lexie turns around, stopping him. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you."

"I _told you _we were—"

"—Done talking. Yeah, yeah, I remember. I was there." She stays silent, waiting for him to continue, her hands on her hips. "Look, I never expected you to come after me," he begins quietly. "I hoped you would, but, uh," he rubs the back of his neck nervously. "I never _expected_ anything. But you did show up. And I screwed up. Because I was hurting and I was alone. And I'm sorry you saw that—and I _know_ I can't say nothing was going to happen, because something _was_ going to happen." Lexie looks away, not even wanting to think about it.

"I can't lie about it because I know you deserve better than that. You deserve the truth." He pauses, gathering his thoughts. "I just want you to know that I'm _really_ _sorry_, Lexie. And nothing _did _happen." He sighs. "I meant everything I said to you, Lex." He steps slightly closer to her as she looks up at him. "Every word." She stares at him for a moment before remembering where they are, and she immediately leans away.

"I—I should get back," Lexie says, tearing her eyes away from his and leaving him

to stand alone, on his own, once again.

…

"You know, you should give him a chance," Derek remarks as he stares at the scans. "He can be an idiot sometimes, but I know he really does love you."

Lexie just stares at him in disbelief. "I'm _sorry_, but, uh, is _nothing _personal anymore?"

"Just wanted to put in my two cents," he says shrugging.

"Well, next time you can stay out of it. And so can Meredith. I know what I'm doing."

"All right then," Derek says easily, printing the scans. He turns to look at her now. "Can you put these in her file? I'll go notify the family."

Lexie takes the scans, watching in confusion as he leaves. One minute, he's giving her romantic advice. The next, it's back to work as usual. What the hell is going on around here?

A/N: Okay, I know that ended kind of abruptly, and there's a lot more I wanted to add, but I'm just gonna cut it off here. Sorry for taking so long to update. Review please!


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4:**

_Author's Note: Again, thank you guys so much for reviewing and favoriting; it totally makes my day to see those emails. This one's kind of super-angsty…Sorry it took so long for me to update; school sucks._

"Hi!" April says cheerfully to Joe, coming up to the bar. "Can I get four beers, please?"

"Comin' right up," Joe answers, heading to the back to get the bottles. April leans against the counter, looking to her left to see Lexie sitting alone at the bar.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" April asks hesitantly, walking over.

"What?" Lexie asks shortly, just wanting to be left on her own. She's had more than enough of peppy April in the last few weeks.

"Are you, um, mad at me?" April she asks quietly, taking a seat next to Lexie at the bar.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Lexie asks, trying to keep her voice level.

"Well, because of what I said last night. I didn't um, I was just trying to prove a point, you know? Everyone kept talking about—Well, you know," she says nervously. "And anyway, I um, I know I said some…personal…stuff—not that I take any of it back, but, uh—"

"April, _what do you want_?" Lexie asks, exasperated.

"Are you pissed at me because Dr. Sloan slept with Dr. Shepherd's sister?" April asks quickly, bracing herself for Lexie' reaction. Lexie just stares at her for a second before getting up.

"This is in_sane_," she mutters, heading to the door. April turns around, watching her leave.

"Well, I guess that answers _that _question," April says under her breath.

"Answers what question?" Avery asks, jumping up to an empty bar stool beside her.

"Oh, just—nothing," she answers, smiling at him.

"Need some help with those?" He asks, gesturing to the other three bottles on the counter.

"Sure, thanks." April grabs one and Avery takes the rest as they head back to the booth.

"So did she say anything?" Meredith asks as April and Avery set down the beers.

"Not really," April answers, sliding into the booth beside Alex. "She's pissed off that people keep prying," April says quietly.

"Well, I haven't done anything," Meredith defends herself, moving over so Jackson can sit down next to her.

"Ever wonder why they're fighting like this?" April asks, looking pointedly at Meredith.

"What? This isn't my fault!"

"No, it's not…But I'm pretty sure she'd take your advice over anyone else's."

Meredith sighs, looks at her fresh beer, and then back to April. "We just got here," she complains. April just shrugs, leaving the decision up to Meredith but knowing the guilt will be enough to help her along. Meredith can read through her, though, and narrows her eyes at the younger woman.

"Fine," she snaps, getting up.

"Better not use that tone," Jackson adds. "You sound like someone just stole your surgery."

"I'll make _sure_ your surgery gets stolen if you don't _shut up_," Meredith shoots back before heading for the exit.

"Good luck!" April calls above Alex and Jackson's laughter.

…

"Lexie?" Meredith calls out, closing the door behind her. "You here?"

"In the kitchen." Lexie's voice drifts down the hall. Meredith shrugs off her coat and heads towards her half-sister. Meredith walks in the small kitchen to find Lexie leaning over the table, her hands cradling a large bottle of some kind of liquor.

"You all right, there?" Meredith asks lightly, trying to break the ice. Lexie just looks over at her, her face blank. "Guess not," Meredith mutters under her breath as she grabs a glass from the cabinet. She walks across the room to sit down at the table as well, prying the bottle from Lexie's hands to pour herself some. She brings the glass to her lips, taking a few shallow sips. Meredith wrinkles her nose, realizing the taste. _Scotch._

"Since when do you drink scotch?" Meredith asks, setting down the glass and getting up to grab a beer from the fridge. When she looks back over, Lexie's eyes find hers.

"It was here," she shrugs, before looking back down at the table. Meredith watches her for a moment more. She knows full well that there isn't any scotch in the house, that is, unless Lexie bought some and hid it somewhere—which is highly unlikely. She must've bought it on her way home… Meredith sighs, grabbing a second beer and passing it over to Lexie when she sits back down.

"All right, are you going to say anything or are you just going sit there silently?" Meredith asks after a moment. When Lexie still says nothing and just takes a swig of her beer, Meredith realizes she's on her own. _Perfect. This is just what I wanted to do tonight._

"Okay, then. Look," Meredith begins. "I know you feel all crappy and heartbroken now…And I would like to tell you it gets better with time, but I'm not so sure that'll happen—"

"That was inspiring, thanks," she notes sarcastically.

"What I mean is, I _really _think you should go talk to him."

"You have been speaking to Derek," Lexie states matter-of-factly, ignoring her suggestion.

"Well, he _is_ my husband," Meredith replies. "And he was worried."

"Fantastic," Lexie says dryly.

"And so am I." Meredith studies her younger sister, trying to figure out what to say. "I get it, okay? I'm probably the best person to talk to for this kind of stuff. I've been through most of the same shit you went through."

"Pregnant daughters showing up out of the blue?" Lexie asks skeptically.

"Try vengeful wives," Meredith replies. Lexie smiles slightly in spite of herself. "Lexie, look," Meredith says seriously after a minute. "I really think you ought to go and talk to him."

"No thanks."

"Look, if you want this awful feeling to go away, you've either gotta let it all go or drive over there and talk to him…And talking is easier that trying to let go._ Trust me._"

"Is this about Derek again? Because we're not you and Derek."

"No, I know. I'm just speaking from personal experience here. This worked for me, so maybe it will work for you. We _are_ sisters, after all."

"That doesn't make our relationships or problems the same, Meredith."

"Yeah, but the way we fix them could be similar."

"You don't know that." Lexie sighs. "And besides, why should I waste time going over there when I know no good will come of it?"

Meredith studies her younger sister. "Is this about Amelia?" Lexie glances over to her before looking down. Meredith tries to contain her grin. _God, this'll be easier than I thought._

"Lexie, she left this afternoon," Meredith says, a small smile on her lips. Lexie looks up, not quite believing what she's hearing.

"You—You're _sure_?"

"Yes," Meredith assures her. "She headed back to LA just a few hours ago."

Lexie, in spite of herself, begins to smile a little bit. She can feel herself getting hopeful, and she isn't immediately trying to squash it like before. If Amelia's gone, then there won't be any distractions for Mark to, well, fuck…And if he's by himself, single, it'd might actually be possible for Lexie to talk to him…

"You've just gotta go put yourself out there," Meredith instructs her.

"Yeah," Lexie says quietly, lost in thought. "Look, I, um, I guess—"

"Just go," Meredith smiles.

Lexie gets up, heads to the door, but stops before she leaves.

"Thanks," she says, looking back to her older sister.

…

"It's swamped here and I'm on call for another hour, Mark. You're just gonna have to take her back yourself," Callie tells him, examining chart after chart.

"Fine," Mark grumbles, heading to the exit. "I'll see you in an hour, Torres," he warns, as if daring her not to show up.

"Whatever, bye," she answers without looking up from the charts.

...

"Fine, I'll drive you," Mark concedes to Amy.

"Good," she answers, climbing into the car. "You owe me anyway. I missed my flight home to babysit _you."_

"No one asked you to," Mark replies, turning on the ignition.

Amy just rolls her eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, I think it's just by your couch," she tells him, trying to make this as brief a trip as possible. _LA drama seems tame next to the Seattle,_ Amy thinks. Mark just nods, his eyes on the road.

…

"So I'll grab my purse and be on my way," Amy says cheerfully, as the elevator opens on the fifth floor.

"Leaving so soon?" Mark mocks.

"Yeah, I think Seattle's got _just _a bit too much excitement for me," Amy chuckles.

"What? You don't get all kinds of crazy down in LA?"

"Oh, we get crazy. Just not…_this _crazy."

"Thanks for that," Mark replies, stopping in front of his apartment.

"Well, it really was nice to see you," Amy admits truthfully.

"Ha," he says with a smile. "Yes, I'm sure this is exactly what you were expecting."

"Well, not _exactly…_But Addison did say you Seattleites were full of drama, drama, drama," Amy informs him with a grin.

"Ah, yes. She had her fair share of it while she was here," Mark agrees, taking out his keys.

"I'm sure she did," Amy says with a laugh as the elevator behind her _dings _open.

…

"Hey, why aren't you at Joe's?" Derek asks as he walks into the kitchen.

"Oh, I was. I just came back because April guilt-tripped me into it."

"Huh?" Derek asks, kissing her lightly on the lips before sitting down beside her at the table.

"Lexie. April made me go talk to her after she left the bar to come here."

"Ah," Derek replies. He spots the bottle in the middle of the table. "You two were drinking scotch?" He asks skeptically.

"No, I wasn't."

"Lexie brought it over?"

"Apparently," Meredith sighs. "No matter what you drink, I think I'll stick with tequila for my heartbreak," she says jokingly.

"Of course. Your one true love."

"Funny," she says sarcastically before turning serious. "So I think things might work out with her and Mark," she comments casually.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. That was the guilt trip," she explains. "April sent me after her cause she was convinced that Lexie only listens to me. Which is ridiculous."

Derek raises his eyebrows at her.

"What? It _is_."

"Well, seeing as she's going over to talk to him, I think April's right…"

"Oh, please," Meredith argues, rolling her eyes. "All she needed to hear was your sister left, and then she was good to go—What?" She asks, noticing the worried look on his face.

"Amelia didn't leave Mer," Derek tells her. "She missed her flight earlier."

…

Lexie arrives at his apartment for the second night in a row, so hoping that she isn't really as stupid as she feels. When she rounds the corner, though, her fears are realized. He's with _her_. _Again. _After telling her that Amy meant nothing, that nothing happened between them.

"Lex—" He says, half-relieved and half-disbelieving, not even thinking about what she's seeing.

"I KNEW I couldn't trust you!" She yells, finally fed up with all the drama. She's so heartbroken and frustrated she can't even think. _It's not even worth it anymore._

"What?" He looks to Amy and then…_Oh, shit. Amy._ "Lexie, this is—NOT what you think it is. She's—She's leaving."

"So am I," she says, shaking her head in self-directed anger and heading to the elevator. He runs up behind her, and she can sense his presence. "I'm leaving," she repeats without looking at him, getting right back on the elevator she just stepped off.

"No, you're not," he counters in vain as she steps onto the waiting elevator.

"Mark, _move_," she commands, shoving him off the elevator as the doors are about to close. He throws out an arm to stop the doors, and she groans in frustration.

"Lex, come on, can't you just listen to me?"

"I _did!_ I did listen! I heard everything you had to say, but it doesn't matter anymore. You didn't mean it."

"Oh—Oh, really?" He asks, getting more and more irate as the seconds tick by. _Why does this have to be so difficult!_ "You think I didn't _mean _it? You think I just said what I did this afternoon for _nothing_? You think I said what I did before the shooting for _no reason_?"

"_Yes,_" she hisses. "Because I know saying it didn't mean anything to you."

"Well, if you think that, then just go ask Callie!" Mark yells, sick of all the miscommunications.

"_Why?_" Lexie hollers back, just as exasperated.

"_BECAUSE_," he shouts, so frustrated that he doesn't bother to think before he speaks. "_She _had to talk me out of _PROPOSING TO YOU!"_

The second she hears those words, all the anger drops off of her face. She takes an automatic step backward, trying like hell to process this. Mark exhales loudly, running a hand through his hair and closing his eyes. Amy just stands in shock, still frozen by his apartment door. _He wanted to _marry _her?_

"What?" Lexie whispers after a moment, her voice barely audible. "What did you just say?"

Before Mark can answer, the sound of a door being thrown open jerks everyone out of their thoughts. Amelia almost jumps out of her skin at the sound, having been so intent on watching the two battle it out.

"Hey, _what_ is all the yelling about?" Arizona calls out, annoyed at being woken up after being on-call all night. She looks out her apartment door and into the hallway. Arizona takes one glance at the scene in front of her and steps outside, closing the door. She'd gotten most of the story from Callie already, and she knew that Mark had broken his hand just yesterday after talking with his ex.

"Guys, what's going on here?" She asks slowly. Her eyes drift from an angry Mark to a shell-shocked Lexie and then to a very uncomfortable-looking Amelia Shepherd, standing a few yards away from the couple.

"Last week," Mark replies, as if Arizona hadn't spoken. "I was going to—"

"Last _week_?" Lexie breathes, thinking back. _Oh, god…_

"Yes," he says, taking a tentative step closer to her. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. But I didn't get a chance to," he says, looking down at her. "Callie told me not to," he says with a half-smile, which quickly disappears off his face. Lexie's eyes fill with an almost-crippling vulnerability, something Mark's never seen on her face before. He's about to speak, to say _something_, when she breaks the silence first.

"Well, good thing she did," Lexie replies, a tear falling down her face.

"Lex," Mark whispers, moving towards her.

"I need to go," she murmurs, wiping her face as another tear falls. "Nothing, Arizona," Lexie answers a moment later, her voice louder, as she finally addresses the other woman. "Nothing's going on. I was just leaving."

"Lex, come on," Mark implores her, leaning into the elevator. She just looks away and hits the button to close the doors, but they're blocked by Mark's arm. "Will you just talk to me?"

"I. Need. To. Go," Lexie growls under her breath, enunciating each word as a separate sentence. Her shattered vulnerability has been quickly remedied by quick-to-start temper. If this weren't so tense a situation, Arizona would've thought it was cute how easily Lexie shifted into Mark's signature tone of voice. Lexie shoves his arm away from the door and hits the button to close it, but not before Arizona catches her wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

Mark stands there for a moment, clenching his good hand in hatred at himself, at Lexie, and this whole fucked-up situation. He can almost hear the blood rushing to his head, getting louder and louder—

"Mark," Amy warns, not wanting to have to drive him to the emergency room two nights in a row. A second later, he straightens up. He doesn't even look back, or say anything—he simply runs to the door to the stairs and yanks it open, flying down the five flights as quickly as he can. _I'm just lucky she didn't go _up_stairs._

_..._

"Hey, I don't know if you're up but I wanted to let you know I just pulled in. I'll be upstairs in a minute or so," Callie says into the phone grabbing her umbrella before getting out of the car. She hangs up, betting that she'll find Arizona dead asleep the minute she walks in.

_At least then Mark gets his wish, _Callie thinks. _My full and undivided attention. _She almost groans out loud at the thought. _This night just gets worse and worse_. Her thoughts are interrupted, though, as she hears extremely loud shouts coming from the entrance of the apartment building. Callie jogs over quickly, making sure it isn't any kind of medical emergency.

_Oh, shit…_Callie thinks, recognizing the voices.

...

Mark throws open the door to the stairs just as Lexie is walking out into the now-pouring rain at the building's entrance. He runs after her, not having enough breath to call out. She's almost to the curb when he catches up, putting a light hand on her arm. She whirls around instantly, as if burned by his hand.

"_LEAVE ME ALONE_!" She screams at him, tears running down her cheeks.

"Lexie, Little Grey, _please—_" Mark says softly, his heart tearing at the sight of her hurt face.

"NO!" She yells, shoving him away roughly. "You do NOT get to talk to me! Not like that. Not _EVER_." She moves to wipe away her tears, but as soon as they're gone, others replace them. "I don't _ever_ want to see you again."

"Stop. Please," he begs. "Will you just clam down and tell me the truth?"

She sniffs, wiping her face again and looking at him warily. "Why should I?"

"Because it's all I ask. I just want to know one thing and then you can go on your way and never see me again."

She draws a ragged breath, looking away. When she doesn't answer, he asks anyway.

"Would you have said yes?"

_Author's Note: I know, cliffhanger. Sorry, I just couldn't resist. :) I'll update asap!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

_Author's Note: See? Told you I'd update as soon as possible._

_"Would you have said yes?"_

Her eyes snap back to his face, taken completely off-guard. Lexie studies his face for a solid minute, but neither of them speaks. He looks down at her, hoping, praying, against all odds that she'll just speak the words he wants to hear and come back to him. He knew—well, he _hoped _he knew what he was doing when he'd blurted everything out. Obviously, it was a stupid thing to say. It probably only made things worse…But it's the last card he's got.

"I…" Lexie starts, not knowing what to say. Should she lie and say…what? What even is the truth anymore? Would she actually have said…anything…if he'd asked her? _Either way, I'll be walking away, _she thinks. _Let's just get this over with once and for all._ "I don't know. I—I loved you. I did. I used to think that we would…" She corrects herself, swallowing. "I did love you." He waits for her to continue. "But now…Now I don't know what to feel. What to think."

"I can help you with that," he explains quickly. "I know what its like."

"You have no _idea_ what I'm going through," she snarls, glaring at him.

"I do," he says softly stepping towards her. "I was there. In…In the psych ward," he says hesitantly. Her eyebrows knit together, appalled.

"Wha…What?" "Lex, I didn't…"

"You were spying on me?" She yells, walking up to him.

"No! No, I wasn't spying on you. I was making sure you were okay."

"By sneaking into my room?"

"It's not my fault you didn't notice!"

"Well, maybe I didn't notice because I was telling Meredith—" She breaks off suddenly, stepping away from him.

Mark looks at her seriously. "You were telling Meredith what?"

"None of your business."

"Well, seeing as it's _about _me, about _us_, I think it _does _involve me."

"There is no _us_," Lexie spits.

"There can be," he says quietly.

"Not when you're lying to me at every turn, hiding things, and _still _sleeping around," Lexie argues.

"I never slept with Amy."

"That doesn't mean you wouldn't given the chance."

Lexie looks out into the rain, trying to process all the information swirling around in her head. When she speaks, her voice is quiet.

"You…You heard everything I said?"

Mark nods.

Lexie looks away. "You didn't…You never said…anything," she whispers.

"What was I supposed to say, Lex?"

"_Something. Anything._ You could have said _anything. _But you didn't," she growls. "You made me think I was on my own! _You _made me think I was a psycho!"

"I never said you were a psycho."

"You didn't have to. I can tell what you're thinking."

"I didn't…I didn't know if I could say anything. I didn't…I thought you'd feel violated or betrayed."

"I do! I _do _feel violated and betrayed! You listened in on something private!"

"Well, it's not like I was waiting for you to say something! I just didn't want you to be all alone in there."

"I wasn't alone. Meredith was there."

"Still," he says as if that closes the argument.

"Just because you saw me go through what I did doesn't mean you _know _what I went through, Mark," she argues, not giving up. "You have to actually go through something like that to be able to emphasize with me. And you didn't."

"I did," he says softly stepping towards her.

"Don't—" She starts to protest angrily, but his voice drowns hers out.

"I've gone through it too. After you left, after Sloane left…I didn't know what to do. I…I knew I wanted you back, but I couldn't figure out how to say the words. I wanted to be with you, but you had moved on. I didn't feel like…" He pauses, searching for the words to explain to her what he felt during that intense period of constant abandonment. It was like living with his parents all over again, except he could do something to change his situation this time. And he didn't.

"Like you could say anything," Lexie whispers, recalling what April had told her last night at the bar.

"Exactly," he responds. "I didn't…I didn't know what to feel, what to think, what to do. Everything was so mixed up, it was impossible to sort through it all."

"Maybe you do know what I'm talking about," Lexie muses softly, surprised.

"I do. I do, Lex. That's what I've been trying to tell you." He leans towards her, invading her personal space. "Don't you trust me?" He asks softly, not sure if he wants to hear the answer.

Lexie Grey looks up at him, swallowing as her mouth goes dry. He hasn't been this close to her in months. "I don't…I don't know," she whispers. "I don't know if I _can._" Lexie closes her eyes as a lone tear falls down her cheek. Mark lifts his hand to gently brush the tear off of her face. She leans ever so slightly into his touch—this first _real_ physical connection that they've shared in months—something that doesn't go unnoticed by either of them. "I want to." She sighs, finally voicing her fears. "I _really _want to…But I just…I can't go through everything again."

"You won't have to," he replies. "I would never let you go again."

She looks up at him, wanting so badly to believe him. To have faith, hope, in _something_. But what if he's the wrong person for her to put her trust in? What would she do then?

"Mark…"

"Please, Lex. I'm begging here."

"I…I don't…I don't know what to do," she manages. He never takes his eyes off her, speaking softly.

"Do you want to be with me? That's why you came back here again, even after what you saw, isn't it?" Lexie closes her eyes, trying to clear her head.

"Yes," she whispers after a minute.

"Then what are you afraid of?" Her eyes open, locking with his.

"What am I afraid of?" Lexie repeats in a hushed tone. "I'm afraid of pregnant daughters and drunken infidelities. I'm afraid of exes and relentless gossip. I'm afraid of being judged and second-guessed. I'm afraid of feeling less than. I'm afraid of being on the wrong end of a gun, Mark," she whispers, barely audible. "I'm afraid of all of these things. Tell me, please, what _shouldn't _I be afraid of?"

"Me," he answers softly. "You shouldn't be afraid of me, or you, or especially us. You shouldn't be this worried. All of that is in the past. All of it already happened. We already went through it."

"Through the paces…" Lexie murmurs, remembering what Meredith told her.

"Exactly," he says, nodding. "We've gone through more shit in these few months than most people go through in their whole lives. And I know…I know we didn't get through all of it _together_, but we both got through it. And if we had to do it again, I'd never let you walk away. _I _wouldn't walk away. I'd stay here, with you. Right where I want to be. Where I _need _to be."

She watches him for a few silent minutes, trying to read his face. He _looks _genuine…But looks can deceive…Lexie looks away again, trying to sort through her thoughts. She wants so badly to believe everything he's saying and to just fall back into what they had...But nothing's ever that easy, is it? She sighs, looking back to him. Lexie doesn't see anything misleading in his eyes. She closes her eyes…_Its now or never, I guess…_

"This is where I want to be, too," she answers quietly.

"So what's the problem?" Mark asks, not really seeing anything standing in their way. She looks at his as if he's crazy. She opens her mouth once to respond, but closes it again, trying to moderate her voice. She speaks again after a hushed moment.

"The problem is, I don't know if I'm thinking straight here! I—I came here expecting…" She lets out a half-laugh. "_I _don't even know what I was expecting. But I didn't find whatever it was that I was looking for. And now…Now everything's…" She trails off, throwing her hands in the air. "I don't know what's happening anymore."

"Why don't we figure it out together, then?"

She shakes her head. "It's not that simple."

"Why not?" "Because…Because…" Lexie falters. "It just _isn't_," she sighs. Mark gives her a small smile.

"I love you, Lex. I know I screwed this up…But I want you to be able to trust me. Just this once. Just trust me this one _last_ time. Please, Lexie."

"I said I didn't know if I could trust you, Mark. After everything that's happened…"

"Who cares what's happened?"

"Mark…"

"Screw the odds," he says softly, remembering what she'd said about their three percent. She leans towards him, almost involuntarily. When their lips meet, it's more the fact that they're occupying the same space by accident than a planned gesture. And Lexie pulls away almost immediately.

"Lex," Mark whispers, closing his eyes. If she's going to bolt now, after all this, he doesn't want to see it. That one small, little kiss…Barely a brush of their lips…It could have potentially ruined everything that he'd been trying to convince her of for the past few weeks. The idea that he was here, no string attached, for her. That he wanted to be with her, stay with her. That he wanted a relationship—a real, life-long one. After a second, he opens his eyes, bracing himself. What his vision is flooded with, though, is not the dark raining streets of Seattle—it's Lexie. _She's still here_, Mark thinks in disbelief. He'd expected her to take the first out she saw, but she's once again surprised him.

He smiles hesitantly at her perplexed expression, taking a small step backwards to give her space. Almost immediately after he moves, she lets out a large breath, as if she'd been waiting for him to move away. He takes a deep breath, maybe inhaling the air she just exhaled. Mark's mind wanders for a second…Could there be a transfer there? Could they be linked simply through literally breathing the same air? Sharing oxygen, living in a shared atmosphere? He shakes his head—these thoughts are ridiculous and they aren't getting him anywhere. _If things are going to be fixed, it's now or never,_ Mark thinks. He clears his throat, his eyes shifting to latch on to hers.

"So, unless you've found something else…" He trails off, trying to pull together all of his thoughts and make them into something coherent. "…Found _someone _else…Unless you've moved on…I want you to know that I think you're the one for me."

Lexie bites her lower lip, blinking through her tears at him. She closes her eyes, trying to clear her head of all the _very _distracting memories that chose to invade her mind at that moment.

"_He likes you."_

_ "Who? Dr. Sloan?"_

_ "Oh, please. Don't tell me you haven't noticed his eyes on your ass!"_

_ "You are…delusional!"_

…

_ "When I like somebody, I make sure they know it. Life's too short to live any other way."_

…

_ "You made her speak. Mrs. Patterson, she said 'hi.' She spoke. You—you made her speak…I respect you. As a man. As a surgeon. As a teacher. I respect you. So…teach me."_

_ "What are you doing? Don't do that. Stop. Stop!"_

_ "Teach me."_

_ "We can't do this. You're Little Grey an—and—and I promised, and…I'm your __**teacher**__!"_

_ "So…teach me!"_

_ "Oh, Lexie."_

_ "Teach me."_

_ "Come on, am I really so bad?" _

_ "No. __**I am**__."_

…

_ "Hi there."_

_ "What are you doing?" _

"_I'm saying hello."_

_ "Listen. My __**best**__ friend made one simple request—that I not get __**anywhere**__ near you and I slipped. It was fantastic. __**You're**__ fantastic. But it's not gonna happen again. Ever." _

_ "Okay."_

…

_ "You ever put a new face on someone?"_

_**"Really?"**_

_"You take the right side, I'll take the left."_

…

_ "Oh, no, I'm not judging. He __**is**__ kind of insanely hot."_

…

_"Find Dr. Sloan, he's your patient, ask him his symptoms, and diagnose him correctly to receive your next challenge—what are your symptoms?"_

"_Well…Right now I'm battling a rapid heart rate, I'm also feeling a little flushed…I don't even want to __**mention**__ what's going on below the belt."_

"_Hey, no I-I-I don't do dirty secret flirting with you anymore, okay? I-I told you, if you want to go public with me—with __**us**__—then I will do dirty, __**public**__ flirting. I mean, I will—I will flirt publicly, not…dirtily. Maybe a little dirtily…Would you—would you please tell me your symptoms so I can concentrate?"_

…

"_I wasn't asking you to come see the condo. I was asking you to move in with me. If…that's what you want."_

"_I do."_

"_You do?"_

"_Yeah. Not—right away."_

"_No, of course not. Like—a year?"_

"_Ten years?"_

"_I'm sorry, what now?"_

"_Oh. Um, well, because I-I'll still be a resident for like six more years and then I—I'd want to get my practice up and running…So, how about seven?"_

"_How about five years?"_

"_I'll still be a resident."_

"_So? Stevens and Karev are residents, Meredith's a resident, Bailey's a resident—all married. Or soon-to-be. __**Happily**__. Or…whatever."_

"_I…I'm sorry…Are you asking me to—to marry you?"_

"_No! …Why, would you?"_

"_Um, should we be having this conversation?"_

"_No, probably not."_

…

"_Mrs. Shepherd's coming…to Seattle?"_

"_So?"_

"_So, that woman practically __**raised**__ me! …She taught me right from wrong. If she found that I was…__**with**__ you…that we were…You're Meredith Grey's little sister. You're forbidden fruit. You are __**twenty**__-__**five**__. You're a fetus."_

"_Twenty-four. I skipped third grade."_

"_I feel dirty."_

…

_"I get it. I'm the one who organized a crazy cabal of secret, cutter interns. The thing is, I've been advised to seek out sex as a way out of my sad predicament, but I think I would rather just learn today, so…What do you say? You, me…"_

_"Why are you talking about sex with me? It's inappropriate! I'm your teacher. I have things to teach. Double-board certified things."_

_"That's what I was talking about! For you to teach me…m—medicine. The sex, that was…a—a joke!"_

…

"_I'm crazy about you. And I know that my dad would be too. You have nothing to worry about."_

"_That's what you said when you told me to tell Derek…Lexie, I'm closer to your dad's age than yours. So, I'm thinking, he may not love me so much. You know, what we have is __**fantastic**__. Why don't we just keep it for us?"_

…

"_Sorry I'm late."_

"_Ah, Dad, this is um, this is Mark Sloan. Dr. Mark Sloan. He, he's my…uh…"_

"_Teacher?"_

"_No, no. He's my…He's __**Mark**__."_

…

_"Photographic memory, huh? _

_ "Yeah."_

_ "Periodic table; go."_

…

"_Until you tell Derek, our relationship is going to consist of you hiding in the attic and me smuggling snacks past Mer's bedroom. Do you know what that makes you?"_

"_Your boyfriend?"_

"_Anne Frank. I'm dating Anne Frank, and I'm tired of it. I—I want to go downstairs with you. I want to tell the Germans to kiss my ass!"_

"_I'm going to tell him. Soon. And when I do, you're going to be my date to the wedding."_

…

"_I don't want to keep secrets."_

"_Sorry?"_

"_I've been keeping secrets all day. About surgeries and rings, and…you. And that secret, the—the __**you**__ secret, it's giving me high blood pressure. And I don't want that secret. We're…having a relationship. And if we are, if we're in a relationship, then I need to be in it __**in front**__ of my sister. And Derek Shepherd. If we can't do that, then I—I can't do this."_

…

"_I am __**so**__ sorry."_

"_It was worth it."_

"_No, it—it wasn't…May—Maybe a little. Thank you."_

…

"_Yes, the odds are against us. I'm a one-woman wrecking ball. All I do is break you. Your hand, your penis, your relationships, your life…I'd say our survival rate is about three percent. And that's bad. But it's not nothing. And—And I don't think we should give up on this, at least not yet, because—"_

_"You think you broke me, Little Grey? You're the one who put me back together."_

…

"_Okay, you brought up moving in together, and __**marriage**__, and I put it off…And now you're embarrassed and you won't make eye contact with me because you feel that I have all the power in the relationship, but I don't want all the power in the relationship! I'm—I'm happy to share it! Can we just __**skip**__ this part?"_

…

"_Really? Nothing?"_

"_Nope."_

"_You don't even want a drawer?"_

"_No!"_

"_How about a toothbrush? Change of panties?"_

"_No."_

"_Damn. I like your panties."_

…

"_Callie...Are you really gay? How gay are you, like, on a scale of one to…gay? Cause that's my boyfriend in the shower. My hot, __**hot**__ naked boyfriend and I…how gay are you?"_

"_I'm sorry. It's…I've know Mark a while and…But I'll try not to do that again. The naked in the shower thing."_

"_Or, or the you half-naked in the hallway thing. Cause—Cause even if you really __**are**__ gay, he's not. An—And you're hot."_

"_He doesn't look at my boobs anymore. The first thing he used to look at when I walked in anywhere was my boobs. He doesn't look anymore. __**Not since he met you.**__ Okay?"_

"_Okay."_

…

"_Okay, my dad needs a transplant, Mark."_

"_I get that, but what you need to understand—"_

"_No, I don't think you get it at all." _

"_You know what I don't get? We're together, we __**live**__ together, we need to decide these things __**together**__. You can't just go under the knife and leave me a note!"_

"_No, I—I would have paged you."_

"_I'm your __**boyfriend**__, Grey!"_

"_He's my dad!"_

…

"_I should have asked you first. But I was __**so**__ excited and I __**so**__ sure it was the right thing…And you know why? __**Cause of you**__. Since you, I know for the first time in my life the right thing is."_

"_I am __**happy**__ for you. I really am. Something happened today. You became a dad. A real one. And __**Sloane**__, against all odds, became a mom. But I __**didn't**__. I was barely ready to move in with __**you,**__ nevermind your daughter and a grandbaby! I—I just—I don't want this!"_

"_You wanted to give your liver to your dad! This is what you __**do**__ for family, right?"_

"_I understand why __**YOU**__ are doing it. I just don't understand why __**I'm**__ doing it."_ _"…Well, I think you're doing it for __**me**__."_

"_Don't make me out to be the selfish one. You don't get to unilaterally decide to let a __**teenager**__ and her __**infant**__ move into our house!"_

"_We'll get a bigger place! She needs us! …Lexie, I thought I __**missed**__ this. This is a chance for me. Don't make me choose between you and her."_

"_Why? Because you'll choose her?"_

"…_Yeah. I'll choose her."_

"_I think our relationship just ended."_

…

_"How did, uh, Sloane's surgery go?"_

_ "I slept with Addison."_

_ "Oh, thank god! I slept with Alex. I was feeling so—Well, you __**know **__how I was feeling. Which is—Which is why this is great! We—we're even. We kind of cancelled each other out."_

_ "You slept with Karev?"_

_ "Yeah." _ "_While I was dealing with my __**sick **__daughter—while I was __**hurting**__—"_

_ "Uh…Well, you weren't hurting, you were sleeping with Addison."_

_ "You __**broke up **__with me. __**Left **__me…I just…Wow. I…I can't even look at you right now."_

…

"_I told a patient's husband that she was fine. That her surgery went perfectly…And the next thing we know, she has a stroke and we're supposed to just…unplug her. I know that I am __**supposed**__ to toughen up. I know that I am __**supposed**__ to not care…But how? How do you not care?"_

"…_It's the hardest part of the job. The very hardest part."_

"_How did you do it? How did you learn?"_

"_I'm still learning."_

…

_"So… Mark slept with Reed. Gross, right?"_

_ "But you're with Alex."_

_ "I know. No, I'm just saying it's gross, is all. It's just…It's gross."_

…

_ "Lex? …I'm still in love with you. I tried not to be…But it didn't work. Sloane's gone. There's no baby. And I don't want to sleep around. I want another chance. I'm in love with you."_

"_Ka-Karev is…He's…Mark, I—I…I have a boyfriend."_

"_I know. I'm saying you could have a husband."_

…

_"__**Wow. **__Impressive technique. Who taught you that?"_

_ "Mark. He taught me one-handed ties, notra stitches, dual-only bone grafts…And now, he can teach his techniques to Reed."_

_ "Lexie…"_ _ "It's fine. I'm fine. I don't care. I'm with Alex. I do not care about Mark, and or who he sleeps with."_

…

"_You cleared Lexie Grey for surgery?"_

"_Dr. Sloan, I'm in session—"_

"_I HAD TO CHECK HER INTO PSYCH. LAST WEEK. I had to commit her AGAINST HER __**WILL**__! And you just __**clear her for surgery? **__What the hell kind of doctor __**are you?"**_

…

"_See? I'm okay. Really. I'm back."_

…

_Thank you for listening to me…and for not being afraid of me."_

"_Nobody's afraid of you."_

"_Mark is. He's keeping me chained to his service. He's __**keeping**__ me out of surgeries."_

"_He's afraid __**for**__ you. So he hovers. Other people might lock you in a cell overnight to be urinated on by a meth head...But it all comes from the same place."_

…

"_Lexie."_

"_Did I forget to clean something?"_

"_No, I just need to talk to you."_

"_No, you __**don't**__, though. I know that you want to be here, but __**you don't have to."**_

"_Well, wait—"_

"_I went through a rough patch, and you helped me, and I appreciate that. But I am __**moving**__ out of it...__**and you won't let me!**__ You know, you're treating me like I am a basket case, and—and everyone is watching you, and they're believing you! I had a good day today! I saved a girl today! I did that! I am a good doctor, and I don't deserve for people to think that I am anything less than that. So could you __**please**__ just leave me alone? Can you do that? __**Can just leave me alone?"**_

"_You got it."_

…

"_So today only one person looked at me like a psycho who might run down the hall naked and… Dr. Bailey screamed like a little bitch baby over a spider so I'm feeling pretty good, you know, for a crazy person."_

"_No one gives a crap if you're a crazy person. We're all crazy."_

"_Mark gives a crap. He stares at me like I'm a menace to myself and __**everyone**__ around me."_

…

_ "And Lexie, for god's sake, Mark never thought you were a psycho, he __**loves you**__. That's why he stares at you, because he cant keep his eyes off the woman he loves…Of course, he's never going to say anything because he doesn't feel like he __**can**__."_

…

"_Are you okay?"_

"_Mark's moving on. Like, really."_

"_Well, that's good…Isn't it?"_

"_It's—It's—That's—It's great. It's—That's um, that's per—perfect. It's—It's…perfect."_

…

When she opens her eyes again, she's made her decision.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

_Author's Note: Though we didn't get much, I loved the little M/L scenes in Thursday's ep. But besides that, the episode was mostly heartbreak. I think they writers are intent on pushing us as far as possible with Callie and Arizona so that we finally give up hope. Or at least that's how it looks to me (. (But I'm sure it'll work out, right? ;)) And am I the only one who likes April with Avery over Alex? I'm __**really **__not a fan of Alex. With anyone. In any capacity. (Well, maybe Izzie, but I could really care less.)_

_Anyway, on with the story (and sorry it took so long to update):_

_ When she opens her eyes again, she's made her decision._

"I never moved on, Mark," she whispers, her eyes locked with his. "You were it for me, too. You…You _are _it."

He doesn't say anything, doesn't show any emotion—but in mere seconds he's sprung towards her, his lips meet hers, his hand cupping the back of her neck gently. This time they aren't merely separately occupying the same space, they're sharing it—deliberately. She kisses him back automatically, her hands moving to rest on his cheeks, pulling him as close to her as possible. His other hand moves to her waist, drawing her body towards his as their lips move together, just the same as they used to. Their kiss continues to intensify, neither one wanting to be the one to pull away, until—

…

"What the _hell _happened here?" Callie asks, walking into the apartment.

"Don't ask me," Arizona says, yawning. "I only woke up partway through it." She turns to Callie. "Why? What happened down there? Mark break his other hand?"

"No, no, I think they'll be good," Callie says with a smile. "Wait a minute…" She murmurs, walking over to the window. She leans out of it into the rain, grinning.

"_GET A ROOM!" _She yells, watching with amusement as the two surgeons jump apart. She waits for Mark to find her before sticking her tongue out at him.

"Screw you, Torres," he yells back. But Callie can tell that there's humor in his voice.

"Well, that's settled," she notes, closing the window and turning around, when she notices there's someone else in the apartment.

"Oh, um, hi," Callie says, noticing Amy sitting in their kitchen.

"Hello," Amy says lightly, waving.

"Her keys are in Mark's apartment," Arizona explains, getting some leftovers from the fridge.

"What are you doing eating? It's like two in the morning."

"Well, I've already been woken up once…And you know just as well as I do that those walls are _not_—"

"Arizona!" Callie interrupts, looking pointedly to Amy.

"Oh, sorry," Arizona says, glancing sheepishly to the younger Shepherd.

"No, it's fine," Amy assures her with a laugh. "Actually, I came over here a minute ago, wondering if you had a spare key," Amy asks, turning to Callie. She tilts her head towards Mark's apartment. "I didn't have to chance to grab my purse before."

"Oh, right," Callie says, going to her and Arizona's bedroom to get the other key.

…

"Sorry about that," Mark says, turning back to Lexie. She glances up, grinning at Callie before looking back at him.

"Is nothing private?" Lexie asks, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, you're the one who ran out into the street," he says, his hands wrapping around her waist, drawing her near to him.

"True," she agrees. "But you followed me."

"Of course I did," he tells her. "What else was I supposed to do?"

"Let me go," she says quietly.

"I wouldn't. Not ever," he responds seriously.

"Good," she says simply. "Because I don't plan on going anywhere." With that, Lexie rests her head lightly on his chest, closing her eyes. He kisses the top of her head, stroking her hair lightly with one hand.

"Thank you," she murmurs, tilting her head to look up at him.

"Anytime, Little Grey," he rasps, looking at her face. She leans up to kiss him softly, their lips moving slowly together. Their vigor from moments before seems to have dimmed for the time being. When Mark sweeps his tongue lightly within her mouth, he tastes something all too familiar. It's…

"You taste like scotch," he murmurs into the kiss, feeling almost drugged by everything that's happened, the addition of even the lingering taste of alcohol compounding the effect. A second later, though, he comes to his senses and pulls away, holding her at arm's length. There's an alarmed look in his eyes. "You're—You're not drunk, are you?"

"What?" Lexie asks, stepping closer to him—but again he pulls away.

"Scotch," he repeats. "You don't drink sc…Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Mark," she says seriously, taking a hold of his face so he can't move away. "I appreciate the concern. But I'm sober. Trust me," she murmurs, meeting his lips again.

"Okay," he answers into her skin. The kiss falls apart in moments, though, as they each pull back, leaning their foreheads together. They're both so overcome with their emotions—the adrenaline from the fighting having worn off, they're both just tired. Lexie studies his face—closed eyes, faint smile—for a moment before speaking.

"Want to go inside?" She asks softly.

"Sure," he answers, opening his eyes and leaning away slowly. He takes her hand in his and steadily leads the way back to the building. They walk into the elevator and he hits the button for the fifth floor in silence. He glances over at her, squeezing her hand. She smiles infectiously back at him.

"I'm happy you listened," Mark says, breaking the silence. She looks over to him.

"I'm happy you listened, too," she responds, smiling slightly. Mark turns towards her, bending down, his lips meeting hers sweetly. He feels her smile into the kiss and he moves his lips to explore the curve of her neck.

"Mark," she breathes, leaning into him.

"Hm?" he asks between kisses. She sighs, rolling her eyes as she lifts his head from her neck.

"There are things we need to talk about."

His face immediately falls and he takes an instinctual step back from her. "You changed your mind," he states in a defeated voice, always the pessimist.

"No, no, no," she reassures him, closing the small distance as she kisses him, her hands on his cheeks. "I didn't change my mind. It's just—we should—we should settle some things first."

"Things like what?" He asks warily.

"Well, uh, what exactly a—_are _we?"

"Um, boyfriend and girlfriend?" He asks, as if stating the obvious.

Lexie sighs in relief, shutting her eyes. _Thank god he didn't say husband and wife._

"What?" Mark asks, his eyes narrowing. "What did _you _think we were?"

"N—No, that's what I thought we were. I didn't—I didn't know if _you _thought that we—we were…Um…" She trails off, glancing to the elevator doors. Still on floor three. Are all the elevators in Seattle this slow? Or is just the proximity to the hospital?

"If I thought we were going to get married?" He asks bluntly, his amused eyes not leaving hers, which had wandered back to look at him.

"Well—"

"Lex, it's fine," he says as the elevator's bell dings. "I get it. I—that, well, it took you by surprise, I get that…But we don't need to move that fast all at once. I'm—I'm fine with just being your boyfriend for now."

"Good," she exhales, flashing a smile and walking out onto his floor.

"But the clock's ticking," he says seriously, lifting his watch. "So you better find a white dress."

"Shut up," she mutters, dragging him out of the elevator and kissing him softly.

"Mm, gladly," he murmurs into her lips. Just like minutes ago, and many times before, their plain kisses intensify rapidly into something much stronger. The two continue making their way towards his apartment, kissing more and more fervently. Too caught up in their own world, they continue kissing towards his apartment door, laughing at their own bumbling stupidity and growing excitement.

…

"Got it," Callie calls, heading back into the kitchen at making her way to the door. Amy hops off their kitchen chair to follow after her. They're about to open the door when Arizona interrupts them.

"You do _not_ want to go out there," she warns.

"What? Why?"

Arizona just raises her eyebrows at her girlfriend, looking pointedly at the door. Callie listens for a moment and, upon hearing the sounds of a couple kissing rather passionately, she falls back into a chair, defeated.

"This is going to be a long night," Arizona notes between bites of spaghetti. Callie just scowls at her girlfriend.

"What?" Arizona asks defensively. "It's not my fault. You're the one who wanted them back together, anyway."

"Yes, well, I would also like to go to sleep."

"Doubt think anyone will be _sleeping_ any time soon," Arizona chuckles.

…

When they finally reach his door, Lexie presses her body against his, forcing them backwards into the wall. Mark smiles into the kiss and flips them around so he's no longer the one pressed up against the door. He lifts one hand from her curves to grab his key from his pocket and open the door, his mouth never leaving hers. She takes a step towards him, smiling when she feels him tug upwards at her waist. Taking the hint, Lexie jumps up swiftly, giggling as she wraps her legs around his waist.

"I love you," she murmurs, breaking away and leaning her forehead against his. He kisses her nose lightly, grinning at her confession.

"I love you, too, Little Grey." Her mouth turns upwards at his words, an involuntary smile spreading over her face.

"What?" He asks, watching her.

"Nothing," she says, smiling and shaking her head.

"Lex?" Mark asks knowingly.

"It's not…Fine," she surrenders, knowing he'll find out eventually. "You know I love it when you call me that, right?" She asks, a bit shyly.

"In fact, I did not," he replies, lifting her up again and stepping inside the apartment. A corner of his mouth lifts at her admission.

"Don't go making this into some thing," she groans, rolling her eyes as he slams the door shut with his foot.

"What?"

"You'll get all weird and ridiculous about it."

"Me? Ridiculous?"

"Shut up," she whispers, once again leaning down to silence him with a kiss.

…

"That's it, I'm turning on the TV," Callie says a couple minutes later, in an attempt to drown out the all-too-clear voices drifting across the hall.

"Told you the walls were thin," Arizona comments smugly.

_A/N: I put the "Little Grey" thing in there because, personally, I __**love**_ _it. :)_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

(Feel free to skip this rant)

_First off, I'd like to say that after watching this week's ep, I'm on a real hate parade with this show. Seriously, I am legitimately pissed off. I don't think I'm even watching the next one. Or at least I'm skipping past (SPOILER) Mark sleeping with Callie. I mean, seriously? This is why I __**hate**__ this show sometimes. Argh. But I did like protective Avery :) That was awesome. And the whole Derek/Christina conversations on the roof were great. I'm very worried about a Lexie/Avery thing popping up, though…I mean, why wasn't April nursing his wounds or whatever? All I can say is I'm worried. Very worried. For everything. …This isn't even going into drunk bar whore Christina…Oh, god._

_Onward to happier times:_

_A/N: Beware if you don't like super sappiness…I went a little overboard here. :) Just so you know, this is why __**I changed the rating to M**__; it's my first lemon/sex scene so I hope you're not too disappointed. ;)_

_ Also, if you've ever heard the song "Never Be Ready" by Mat Kearney, (it's amazing) I've been listening to it obsessively, and that's kind of what a bit of this is based off._

Mark can't stop grinning as he carries her through the apartment, her legs wrapped securely around his waist. Lexie kisses his neck, smiling back. He kisses her hair softly.

"Welcome back," he whispers into her once-again brunette locks.

"Hm, thank you," she sighs, pulling back to look into his eyes. As they stare at each other, Mark stops moving, holding her tightly in the doorway to the bedroom.

"Lex, I just need to know," he begins quietly. Before he can finish, though, she puts a hand to his lips.

"Mark, I am sure about this. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. I know what I'm doing here," she says seriously.

"Oh, do you now?" A moment later, a mischievous glint appears in his eyes as he tosses her lightly onto the bed, amid her shouts of laughter.

"Mark!" She shouts amid her laughter, pulling him down with her.

"Yes, Little Grey?" He asks sweetly, laughing as well. She lies back, tugging him towards her so they're face-to-face.

"I love you," she says simply. He ducks down, kissing her deeply. When he pulls away, she's almost sure she can see tears in his eyes.

"_I _love you," he responds.

"I'm glad we finally agree on something," she smiles, licking her lips lightly.

"I can think of other things we agree on," he murmurs, leaning down to kiss her lips. She happily opens her mouth for him as his tongue slips between her parted lips, exploring her mouth. They kiss softly for a time before Lexie puts her hands on his shoulders, shifting her weight so they roll to the side, putting her on top.

"Did you really mean that about Plastics?" He asks suddenly, leaning back against the pillows and looking up at her.

"What?"

"What you said, implying that I don't save lives," he quotes, watching her expression. "Well, you didn't really _imply_ it…," he corrects himself.

"Mark," she murmurs. "Come on," she says, leaning down and taking his face in her hands, kissing him deeply. When she pulls away, he smiles at her. Neither of them speaks for a moment until—

"So what did you really mean?"

"Oh my god, seriously?" Lexie asks, falling backwards till her head hits the bedspread. "Are you really going to interrogate me about this? _Now?_"

"Not unless you can think of something you'd rather we were talking about."

"I'd rather we _didn't_ talk," she says with a smile sitting back up and kissing him again. He grins up at her, his mind flooding with memories. She lifts her hands up, pulling her blouse over her head, leaving her only in her jeans and a lacey purple bra.

"Jesus, Lex," he moans, looking up at her. She just smiles down at him, leaning down to kiss along the length of his jaw, her lips coming in contact with his beard, making for an extremely sensual feeling. He hands circle around her waist, pulling her tighter to him, never wanting to let go. Her lips travel along his jaw line until they meet his own lips; he kisses her enthusiastically and he smiles into the kiss when he feel her tongue exploring his mouth. He moves his hands up her sides, travelling to her back. He quickly unhooks her bra and she moves her arms so he can slip it off her body. Mark tosses her bra across the room, taking her beautiful face in his hands and shifting upwards, so they're in a sitting position.

"I love you, Lex," he rasps, looking into her eyes.

"And I love you," she responds, taking his hand and putting it over her heart. Feeling her heartbeat, Mark takes her hand in his and presses her hand against his chest. Their two hearts beat rapidly, excited with arousal, love, and desire. They keep the same time, and Mark and Lexie know that this is it. This is them. They sit there for a moment, feeling each other's heartbeats and just relishing in the closeness and togetherness of this one perfect moment.

Soon, though, Lexie's hands wander impatiently to the hem of his shirt, tugging gently. He ducks his head, helping her pull it off. Now that they're both shirtless, Mark leans forward, letting her lie on her back gently. He kisses her sweetly on the lips before moving downwards. He kisses her cheeks, chin, and neck before his lips brush along her breasts.

"Mark," she moans, looking down at him. He grins up at her, kissing a soft path to her right breast. He envelops her hardened nipple within his mouth, sucking on it expertly. His other hand wanders to the left, rubbing and plucking her other rosy nipple between his fingers.

"Oh, god," she groans as he switches sides, his mouth now licking along her left breast, giving the same treatment with his hands to her right nipple. "What you do to me…"

"It's magical, right?" He says mockingly, grinning like an idiot up at her as he removes his mouth and hand from her breasts. He kisses and sucks back up to her face, looking in her eyes.

"You're such a dork," she says, taking his face between her hands.

"Ah, but a dork you love," he whispers against her lips. She doesn't say anything, just kisses him harder in response. Her hands drift from his face down to his muscles chest, exploring along his pecs and abs. When her hands meet the hem of his jeans, she works quickly to unbutton and undo the zipper at the front of his pants.

Mark breaks the kiss for a moment to pull of his pants before pulling her towards him, kissing down to her stomach. He kisses along a ticklish strip of skin below her belly button, causing Lexie to giggle despite her deep state of arousal. His hands follow his lips, unbuttoning her pants just as quickly. He leans back, pulling the jeans from her body quickly before yanking her towards him.

She yelps in surprise, but is quickly cut off as his lips meet hers in a hungry kiss. They kiss enthusiastically, her hands cupping his face as she wraps her legs around his waist. He kisses down her neck, across her collarbone, and kisses her swollen nipples lightly before travelling lower. He leans her backwards so she can lay on her back as he kisses down towards her center, stopping only when he meets the flimsy excuse she's wearing for panties.

"Where'd you get these, Lex?" He murmurs into her skin, arching his eyebrows at her.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She smirks, doing her best to control the aroused flush in her cheeks and the sheen of sweat on her skin.

"Mm, I would," he murmurs, kissing down to the panties in question till he meets her damp center. Her body jerks towards him as his lips come in contact with her clit, sucking through the thin fabric.

"Jesus!" She yells, looking down at him.

"Excited, are we?" He grins up at her.

"God, you have no idea," she moans, running her hands through his hair.

"I think I have some idea," he says, pushing his boxer-clad erection towards her leg.

"Maybe you do," she says sweetly, smiling down at him. Not a second later, Mark has pulled her panties down her legs and his head had resumed its place, nestled between her thighs, licking softly along her slit. He tastes her leisurely, missing this so much, before he moves his hand to slowly slip one finger inside of her molten core. Lexie hisses loudly, her hands raking across his skull in desperation.

"More," she moans, jerking her hips towards him. He adds another finger, thrusting them inside of her.

"_Fuck_, Lex, you're so _tight_," he moans, thrusting his fingers harder within her as she groans in pleasure. A second later, he's removing his fingers to lick along her slit, tasting her juices. "And so _wet_," he says seductively. Its all Lexie can do not to fall apart at the sound of his hoarse voice, but she manages to contain herself. Mark is watching her, though, and he won't have it.

He thrusts three fingers within her core now, smiling as she cries out in gratification. It's not enough, though, he realizes, and he leans down to suck on her clit.

"Fuck, Mark," she yells, her back arching involuntarily towards him. He can feel her legs shiver beneath him, and he knows she's close. Determined, he thrusts his fingers harder within her and flicks his tongue softly against her clit, tasting her juices as they flow over his hand. She comes like a freight train as he ever-so-slightly grazes his teeth against her over-sensitized nub.

"Oh, god! Mark, Mark, Mark," she shouts, her walls tightening in release around his mouth and fingers. He removes his hand from her core, gives her slit one last, long, lick and then moves back up her body to kiss her hard on the mouth.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that, Lex," he murmurs into her lips.

"Mm, you have no idea how long _I've _wanted you to do that, Mark," she whispers back, tasting herself on his lips. Breaking their kiss, she closes her eyes, leaning her forehead against his as the two try to catch their breath. When she opens her eyes, they're a shade darker, blackened with lust.

"Remember what you taught me?" Lexie asks seductively, pushing him backwards onto the bed.

"God, I could never forget," he moans, watching with anticipation as she slinks down his body, kissing her way down his musculature.

"Jesus Christ, Lex," he groans as she pulls his boxers down his legs, allowing his erection to spring free. She wraps one small, warm hand around his large and hot cock, rubbing it gently.

"Damn, you're hard," she murmurs, feeling herself getting wet all over again.

"Shit, Lexie," he mutters, knowing that she knows what it does to him when she talks like that. His hands grip the sheets around him in anticipation, knowing what's coming next.

She takes his penis in her one hand, leaning down to give its head a tentative lick, spreading his precum. Mark hisses swear words as she flips her hair, leaning toward his body to go down on him. When her lips come in full contact with his erection, Mark does everything in his power not to buck his hips up towards her mouth. He grips the sheets tightly, his mind devoid of all thought except how much he's missed this.

Missed _her._

Her lips enclose tightly over his cock, sucking as hard as she can while her hands spread over his abdomen, helping to hold his body in place. She removes her mouth for a moment, simply licking up and down his length before taking his whole erection within her mouth.

"Fuck, Lex," Mark groans, watching her. It's intensely erotic; feeling and seeing what she's doing to him. She looks up at him, and he knows there's a smug look in her eyes. "You never needed me to teach you anything," he grunts, and he can feel her lips quirk upwards around his hardness.

He knows she relishes being able to reduce him to incoherent sentences with the pleasure she can give him. He looks up to the ceiling, groaning at the bombardment of sensations. Since he's looking away, he's caught completely off-guard as she scrapes her teeth against the sides of his cock, causing him to come immediately.

"_LEXIE!"_ He bellows, shocked by the intense force of his orgasm. She swallows him instantaneously, giving his erection one last lick before sliding up his body.

"God damn, Little Grey," he murmurs, still short of breath as he kisses her deeply. "You really know what you're doing down there."

She smiles into the kiss, and he can feel more than hear her laughter through the vibrations shared between their molded lips. He grins back, too happy to be with her to know what to think. Mark slips his tongue within her mouth, sweeping within and dueling with her own tongue. He pulls back as her tongue slips into his mouth and he hoists her up, trying to get closer and closer.

"Mark, please," Lexie whispers, positioning her wet core close, oh, so close, to his throbbing erection. He takes her hand, enclosing it within his, and in one fluid motion, he slides himself into her. They both moan contentedly at the ultimate intimacy, each other's names falling from their lips. He continues thrusting into her, never breaking contact with her eyes or her hand. His other hand travels to her neck, drawing her closer for a kiss.

"Harder," Lexie moans into his lips. He obliges her, thrusting as deeply as he can. He knows he's hit her sweet spot when her breath starts coming in gasps. She's so close, and so is he. He hand moves from her neck down to her clit, squeezing it gently. Lexie's breath starts and stops again, and her hand goes down to meet him. They pleasure her together, their hands intertwined beside them and within them. She flicks her core as he squeezes her clit, and she closes her eyes, knowing her orgasm is only mere seconds away.

"_MARK,_" she screams a second later as she comes, lurching forward to kiss him soundly on the lips. Mark yells her name as he comes, emptying himself inside of her, but his voice is lost within the fire of their kiss.

…

Afterwards, they lay together, entwined and exhausted. Lexie is curled up on his chest, her head tucked beneath his chin. They're both awake, but too tired and happy to move. Every few minutes he'll kiss her hair or she'll squeeze his hand, just to make sure the other is still there. And even though everything's been resolved, there's still one things nagging in the back of Mark's brain. He knows he shouldn't break this perfect moment they're sharing, but…

"So…" Mark starts casually. "About that conversation we were having earlier…"

"My _GOD_, will you just give up?" Lexie laughs, looking up at him. "Mark," she says slowly. "No, I did _not _mean what I said. I was angry and wanting revenge. I think you're an amazing doctor and yes, you _do _save lives. You don't just fix people, you give patients a reason to keep going—you rehabilitate burn victims, successfully complete facial transplants, reattach babies' arms and do plenty of other things that I'm sure no other surgeon could," she tells him, meaning every word.

He breaks his thoughtful mask with a smug smirk. "Please, keep going."

"You're an ass." She glares at him, but they both know her tone is loving. She rolls over, laying her head on a pillow but still holding his hand within hers. "Mind if I shower?" She asks gently, glancing towards him.

"Yes," Mark murmurs, tugging on her hand. She arches her eyebrows at him. "I don't want you going anywhere."

"I'm just going to the shower," she chuckles.

"Still," he says, leaning over to kiss her. "It's too far."

"You're pathetic," she giggles, getting up.

"That's my line," he says, rolling over to follow her movements with his eyes.

"Not anymore," she responds, glancing back as she approaches his closet, looking for a towel. He used to keep them in there all the time, but since she moved out…Lexie smiles as she opens the door. They're still there.

"Lex, why don't you…" Mark starts nervously, having forgot what's inside. She's searching for a towel, but before she finds anything, a vibrant red catches her eye and she reaches forward to pull the garment off the hanger. _Mark doesn't wear bright red…_

"…Check in the bathroom," he finishes lamely as she pulls her red blouse out of his closet. She studies it, confused. She glances back to the corner of his closet where she uncovered it, finding a purple turtleneck and a dark blue blouse. Three articles of women's clothing. Three articles of clothing Lexie _thought _she'd lost when she moved out.

"You kept all these?" She asks, looking from the closet back to him.

"I, uh…"

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asks, her back to him, examining the clothes. She recognizes the turtleneck from the night she asked him to teach her…And the blue blouse was from when he'd stayed at her house for the first night, after telling her they couldn't ever see each other again. Remembering all of this cause her to smile widely, surprised that he'd remembered it as well.

"Well, I…Wait, are you mad?" "No, no," she reassures him. "I just…I can't believe you…kept all this."

"Why not?" He asks softly.

"Well, I just…I figured you'd have given it back to me. You know I've been looking for this shirt for months?" She asks excitedly, pulling on the red blouse. He grins, remembering the failed surprise party for Arizona.

"Sorry," he says.

"No, it's…" She turns around to face him. "I'm just surprised you remembered, is all."

"Remembered what?" He asks gently, looking at her.

"What happened each time I was wearing these shirts. That's why you didn't give them back, isn't it?" She asks softly, glancing to him. He doesn't say anything, so she holds up the purple one. "This is from when—"

"You asked me to teach you," he fills in, smiling. She nods, holding up the blue one. "And this is when—"

"I asked you if you wanted to go to Denver with me," he chuckles. "Had to explain that one a bit, didn't I?"

"Yeah, I remember," she answers. "I had no idea what you were talking about at first, but then I realized. And I believed."

"Believed what?" "Believed that we were together—in the loosest sense of the word at the time. But now I know it means more—it means we'll really last."

"We will, Lex," he says softly, looking into her eyes. "We will."

"I know," she smiles down at him. She turns to put the three shirts back from where she found them. "You know," she beings offhandedly, "You're not the only one who kept things."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah," she chuckles. "You, um, you left a shirt in the attic one time, and you didn't have time to find it before you had to go so—" "—So I left in just my jacket," he finishes, smiling. "I remember." He rubs his chin for a moment, reminiscing. "Thanks for that, by the way. It was _freezing_."

"Well, it's not like I found it and hid it," Lexie defends herself. "I noticed it a couple days later, under the bed. And besides, just a t-shirt wouldn't have helped against the cold much."

"And you didn't give it back because…?"

"I could ask you the same question," she grins, glancing pointedly to his closet.

"You first."

"Fine," she says, rolling her eyes. "Well, it was back before we had told anyone, let alone were that serious…I just…" She shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "We were so secretive, you know? I think I wanted some proof that it wasn't all in my head."

"It's not," he reassures her, standing up and kissing her softly on the lips. "This is real. This is _true_."

"Good," she smiles. "Because I wasn't planning on thinking anything else."

He watches her expression for a moment before giving into a nagging thought in the back of his mind. "What did you used to think we'd do?"

"Hm?"

"Before. You said that you used to love me, used to think we would do…_something_…but you stopped talking. What were you going to say?"

She shifts so she can look at his face, gauge his reaction. "I used to think we'd be together forever," she whispers, almost shy. He doesn't say anything, simply staring at her. "I know," she scoffs after a moment, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Its naïve and stupid and immature, but—"

He cuts her off, putting a finger to her lips, something he'd done once before, so long ago.

"I don't think it's stupid, or naïve, or immature," he argues softly. "I think it's the _truth_."

She smiles tentatively back, and the couple stands there silently for a moment before he reaches behind her for two towels from the closet. "Shower?"

"Definitely," she grins, taking his hand and heading to the bathroom.

*the end*

_Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who's stuck with me through all this. Since I started writing it, I was hoping I'd finish…Now that I did, it feels great. ;) I hoped you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it._

_ As always, review and leave your thoughts. _

_ Thanks guys,_

_theeyedoesnotSEE_


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